Bleeding Can Be Murder
by texas2step
Summary: Someone ties to kill Steve by sneaking him an anticoagulant


Disclaimer: None of the Diagnosis Characters belong to me. I just borrowed them for the fun of writing this fanfiction. Mrs. Grant and Robert Marshall are characters that I made up to fill in some gaps.  
  
Note from Author: This is my first story and I hope that I didn't mangle or disrespect the series in any way. I apologise up fron for spellin errors. I can't spell worth a flip.   
  
I want to also thank my sister for her help with the medical part of the story.  
  
This was in responce to one of Betty's challenges. Thanks, I love your challenges and many good stories have come from them.  
  
Bleeding Can Be Murder"   
  
Chapter One  
  
The pile of files seemed to have grown instead of diminished on top of his desk. As Steve reached for his coffee mug he realised that the contents had become cold and uninviting. Steve stood up and decided to freshen up his coffee and stretched his aching muscles as he made his way to the coffee machine. Suddenly their was a commotion outside in the hallway that made him abandon his cup by the pot and investigate the uproar. As he approached the the door to the hall Steve could see several police officers trying to subdue a rather large prisoner and replace the handcuffs a green rookie apparently removed without realising the consequences his actions would cause. Steve stood back ready to assist if needed. After about three or four minutes of struggling the prisoner decided to give in to the officers and quietly allowed them to replace the cuffs and haul him to his feet. Steve smiled and contributed some good natured ribbing to the others and returned to his almost forgotten mug. After refilling the cup and adding the cream and sugar Steve soon realised that he had stalled long enough and it was time to get back to his mountain. He was determined to turn it into a hill by the time he was ready to go home for the day.  
  
In the shadows someone watched the lieutenant as he struggled through the paper work and drained his mug of coffee. A slow smile spread across his face knowing that soon his plan to seek revenge on the man he held responsible for his sisters death would soon be set into motion. Just a few more doses of the drug and the slightest bump or trauma would soon cause Lieutenant Sloan to hemorrhage to death and know one would know what caused it untill it was to late. Yes this was almost too easy. Maybe it was too easy. After all he wanted the Lieutenant to suffer a little first. Suffering always sooths the soul of the one who suffered first. The one who watched as his sister slowly faded away and eventualy gave up the desire to live. By all means Sloan does deserve to experience some of the same fear and pain that he brought to his sister.  
  
By six'o clock Steve had almost finished clearing his desk of the clutter of files that had accumulated over the last several weeks. As he reached for the phone to call his dad, he nicked his finger on a protruding staple from the file he was finishing up on. His finger seemed to bleed a lot for just a little puncture. Not thinking much of it he dialed his dad at the hospital.   
  
"I need to speak to Dr. Sloan please. Yes I'll hold." Steve waited patiently while his father was being paged to the phone.   
  
As he waited he realised that his finger was still bleeding with no sign of letting up. Just as he was reaching for a tissue to dab at the finger his dad picked up on the line.   
  
"Dr. Sloan here."   
  
"Yea dad I was wondering if you and Jesse could meet me at Bob's for supper tonight. I have to close up and I want to spend some time with you two before I have to get busy at the register. We've been passing each other and haven't spent more than a few minutes with each other in the last few days. I'm starting to miss you guys."   
  
"Sounds great to me son. I'll check with Jesse and see if he can join us. I know what you mean about missing you. I feel like if I don't see you soon I'm going to have to introduce myself to you. We'll meet you there in about thirty minutes."  
  
As Steve hung up the phone he reached for another tissue. His finger was still bleeding but at least it seemed to be slowing down a bit. He didn't notice the figure who stood back in the shadows watching and smiling as the detective pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the restaurant to meet up with his dad and friend and partner, Jesse Travis.  
  
Mark, Steve, and Jesse enjoyed a quiet dinner together for about an hour when there was a crash in the back. All three men ran to the kitchen to see what all the confusion was about.  
  
The cook was fussing with one of the busboys over some spilt sauce that was dripping from the stove onto the floor. From what the men could understand from the raised voices and the insults that were being flung between the cook and the busboy, the mess was being blamed on the young busboy and his clumsiness. Before the argument got any further out of hand Steve decided to let the busboy go home for the night and made a mental note to schedule the boy on different shifts since the cook seemed to have it out for him. This meant that Steve would have  
  
to bus the tables the rest of the evening. With a sigh Steve soon tied an apron on and took a rag and dish pan and got to work. Most of the evening went pretty smooth until right at the very end when Steve picked up a sharp knife and accidently cut his hand. All of a sudden blood seemed to be everywhere. Jesse came over to have a look and seemed rather puzzled by the amount of blood that the small wound was producing.   
  
"Steve I don't know why you keep bleeding, that cut isn't that deep. Maybe we should go on to the hospital and have it checked out,"   
  
"No way Jess. It's just a little scratch. Don't make a big deal out of it. Look its starting to quit anyway," said Steve.   
  
"This seems like a lot of blood to me for it to be no big deal. That little cut shouldn't have bled like that. Have you noticed any other abnormal bleeding lately?" asked Jesse.   
  
Thinking back to the little prick he got on his finger earlier that afternoon Steve hesitated slightly before he lied and said "No. This just went a little deeper than we thought. Come on and let's finish closing up. I'm tired and I want to get home before it's time to get up and start over."  
  
Jesse watched Steve with some concern. If Steve didn't want to admit there might be something wrong then he was telling Mark. He didn't care if Steve got angry or not. Sometimes you had to take extra care when it came to Steve. He would rather ignore a potential problem than face it when it came to his health. Mark, Amanda, and Jesse had made a pact a long time ago to keep a sharp eye out for Steve and try to head disaster off at the pass. Unknown to Steve he was constantly being watched and monitored by the three. If Steve had known about their alliance he might of understood better why they always seemed to be a step ahead of any potential illness he might be coming down with. Jesse decided he would have a little conference with the elder Sloan the next morning when they both started their early morning shifts.   
  
Chapter Two  
  
The next morning Jesse found Mark in the doctors lounge enjoying a cup of coffee before the hustle of morning rounds began. After mutual greetings Jesse settled down next to his friend and mentor Dr. Sloan. Mark soon picked up on the uneasiness in Jesse's manner.   
  
"What's wrong Jesse. You look like you have something on your mind and need to discuss it. We only have a few minutes before we start rounds so you better get it off your chest while you have a chance. Did something happen after I left last night?" asked Mark.   
  
"Well, it's probably nothing to worry about. As you know Steve bused tables the rest of the evening and things went alright until just as we closed up. He picked up a knife and cut his hand. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal but Mark it bled forever. I mean a lot of blood! The cut wasn't that deep, but he just kept bleeding." Jesse said.   
  
"Could the cut have been deeper than you first thought Jess?"   
  
"Well maybe, but I looked at it and it really didn't seem to be that deep. I wanted to take him in to the hospital, but you know how that went over."   
  
"Yea, I can just imagine that went over like a lead balloon." Mark said.   
  
"There's something else." Jesse seemed reluctant to continue, but one look from Mark made him realise he had to come clean. "I asked him if he had noticed any other abnormal bleeding. He hesitated as if he was remembering something and then said no. Mark I know Steve as well as I know myself. He was lying. I think we need to at least run a blood test on him to see what is going on. Have you noticed any bruising or unusual fatigue lately?" asked Jesse.   
  
"Jesse I have barely even seen Steve for the last few days. Between my schedule and his schedule I have barely even spoken to him except in passing." commented Mark. There wasn't any more time to discuss it as both doctors headed for their appointed rounds. Both concerned for Steve. One as a father the other as a friend and brother.  
  
Steve stopped at a little drugstore on his way into the station and picked up a box of bandaides. He felt at the rate he was going with all the nicks and cuts he was inflicting on himself they might come in handy. His paper work tended to be sloppy enough without him bleeding all over it. As he made his way through the squad room in the direction of his desk he heard the familar bellow from his captain.   
  
"Sloan, my office now." Steve would love to have stopped for a cup of coffee but decided it wasn't worth the risk of causing the wrath of his superior to come down on him.  
  
"Yes sir." Steve greeted Captain Newman.   
  
"There's been another robbery gone wrong down on the west end again Sloan. This time there are two dead bodies. We don't know any ID's yet. One could be the perp. Dr. Bentley is doing the autopsies and should have them finished by this afternoon. Stop by and get the reports. We plan to keep the lid on this until there are more details. So far we have found nothing to indicate this is even connected to last weeks robbery and murder. Oh, and by the way. I noticed that the paperwork on your desk got a bit less cluttered yesterday. Good work. Try too keep it up."   
  
"Yes sir. Thank you sir." Steve said as he left the captains office.   
  
Steve headed for the coffee pot to grab a mug full when one of the other detectives asked him to take a look at a report he thought Steve might be interested in. Steve set his mug down only half filled and walked over to his colleague's desk to look at the report. Unnoticed by any one else a man walked up to the coffee pot as if to get himself a cup of coffee. Quickly he slipped a small vial from his pocket and emptied the contents into Steve's mug. Just as quickly he moved off into the shadows of the room to watch and wait. Soon the Lieutenant returned to his mug and finished filling it and sat down at his desk to enjoy his treat.   
  
" One more dose down. Yes, this is so easy. One more dose and one little accident, and it will be time to say ' bye, bye', to dear Lieutenant Sloan."   
  
Chapter Three  
  
As the noon hour approached Steve decided to head on over to Community General early and have lunch with his dad. He wasn't sure but he thought they might be having meatloaf in the hospital cafeteria. He always enjoyed a good meal from the hospital, even if it did cause him to be the butt of everybodies jokes. Steve picked up his jacket and was soon heading out to the parking lot to get into his car. Suddenly his cell phone rang. Much to his surprise it was his dad on the other end offering to buy him lunch in the hospital cafeteria if he was free. Steve was delighted but at the same time suspicious of the offer. His dad always gave him a hard time about his taste in food. Especially the food from Community General. Something was definitely up. Oh well, he'd find out soon enough when he got there.   
  
Sure enough as Steve stepped off the elevator he felt like he was being ambushed. There stood his dad, Jesse, and Amanda. All three were waiting for him. Before Steve even knew what was happening he was ushered into his dad's private exam room. All three doctors were talking to him and arguing with him at the same time. Before he knew it he had been stripped of his jacket and his sleeve had been rolled up to expose his arm. Suddenly Steve felt a very sharp prick at the bend of his right arm and watched in horror as two vials of blood were drawn. Amanda took the vials and rushed out of the room to her lab to run tests on the blood. Steve in the mean time found his voice and demanded to know what that was all about. His father decided to give him the explanation with a somewhat concerned look on his face.   
  
"Steve, something is wrong. For some reason your blood doesn't seem to be clotting like it should. We knew if we tried to reason with you we would be all day trying to get blood samples."   
  
"So that's why you dragged me in here and forced me to sit still why you relieved me of two vials of my blood. That hurt and you guys had no right to do that." Steve hissed.   
  
"Are you real mad?" asked Jesse with some apprehension.   
  
"Of course I'm mad. You guys attacked me. Before I even knew what was happening you were jabbing me with that needle. My gosh, how big was that thing? My arm is still bleeding. You better hope you got enough because you won't get any more from me for a long time. I knew something was wrong when you offered to buy me lunch at the cafeteria." Steve stormed.   
  
"See, I told you not to offer him lunch at the cafeteria. I knew he'd catch on." stated Jesse. "Mark shouldn't his arm have stopped bleeding by now? Look! He's gone through two steril pads already. Hold your arm up Steve." Jesse said as he raised Steve's arm up a little higher.   
  
Eventualy the bleeding stopped and Steve decided he was still hungry and jumped off the table to head for the cafeteria.   
  
"Woa there buddy! Where do you think your going? Get back up there on the table." Jesse said firmly.   
  
"I'm hungry and I want to go to the cafeteria and have lunch. After all that is what you invited me here for isn't?" said Steve with some irritation.   
  
"You arent going anywhere Young Man until we say so. If you want lunch we'll have it sent up." Mark stated.   
  
Mark walked into his outer office to call the cafeteria and order lunch for the three of them. While he was out Steve looked over at Jesse and asked, with a some what worried look, if he thought their was something really wrong with him.   
  
Jesse shook his head and said, "No way can I tell you anything untill the test come back on your blood work. But you know that no matter what the results, you are not going to face it alone. Your dad, Amanda, and I will be their with you and together we can get you through whatever the problem might be. But Steve you are going to have to cooperate with us. Do as your are told."   
  
"I know that Jess but sometimes you guys go overboard with all that doctor stuff. I can't just sit around untill all the scabs are healed or the aches are gone. It drives me crazy when you guys insist that I stay home and rest all the time. Even when I do rest you get on to me because I didn't rest enough. After awhile I get tired of counting the spots on the ceiling over my bed. That's if I'm lucky enough to even get to stay in my room. Most of the time Dad insists that I stay in the guest room so he can keep an eye on me. I'm a big boy now, I think I know when I need some rest." Steve argued.   
  
With a look of exasperation on his face Jesse looked at Steve and responded, " That's just it Steve, you just think you know whats best. I have never seen anyone push themself the way you do. There are others who could help take some of the load you insist on carrying all the time. Even super heroes know when to take a break. I know you take your responsibilities serious, but you need to learn how to give it up sometimes. What you need is a hobby."   
  
"I have a hobby thank you very much, and it keeps me very busy." Steve replied with a smug grin on his face.   
  
" Oh yea? What kind of hobby smart guy?" Jesse asked with a little attitude.   
  
"I spend a great deal of my time keeping three doctors out of trouble when they get a little to involved in investigating a certain police Lieutenant's criminal cases." Steved smiled as he looked at a very sheepish Dr. Travis.  
  
Just then Mark returned to the exam room wondering what his two boys had been up to while he had ordered their lunch. From the looks on their faces it had been a battle of wills as both boys tried to stare the other one down.   
  
After they had eaten lunch, Jesse headed back down to the E.R. while Mark stayed with Steve to make sure he stayed put. Waiting was very hard for Steve and with nothing to occupy his mind he soon fell asleep from boredom. Mark raised the sides to the bed he was laying on so that he wouldn't fall off in case he decided to roll over on the narrow bed. Since Steve seemed to be settled for awhile, Mark decided to go into his office and catch up on some charts that needed to be signed off on. He left the door open so he could hear his son if he started to stir. Soon Mark was lost in his work and all else around him seemed to fade. That might be why about an hour later when Steve woke up Mark never heard him get up and leave through the hallway exit on the other side of the exam room. Of course it could also be because Steve realised his dad was busy with his work and if he was very quiet he could sneak out before anyone even knew he was awake. Just as Steve let himself into the hallway Amanda called Mark and told him the results were back on the bloodwork.   
  
"It's not good Mark. I'll be up in minute to discuss it with you. Why don't you call Jesse and have him meet us in your office. We have to discuss this and decide what we are going to do. And Mark, what ever you do keep Steve as quiet as possible. He doesn't need to move around to much. Any kind of small trauma could be fatal for him."   
  
"For God sakes Amanda what is it. Please tell me now." pleaded Mark.   
  
"Mark, it would be easier if I bring the results to your office and we can decide the best way to treat this. I'll be there in about five minutes. Call Jesse, because he's going to need to be there to help figure out how to best treat this." was all Amanda would say.   
  
About ten minutes later all three doctors gathered in Mark's office to discuss the results from Steve's blood test.   
  
Amanda said, "Mark, Steve's protime is way above 25 seconds."   
  
"How could that be. Normal is 14 or below for a normal adult male." Mark said with concern in both his face and his voice.   
  
"I know Mark, that's why I did a tox screen on his blood. I found high levels of Warfarin in his blood. We need to admit him into a room and start him on subcutaneous injections of Vitamin K immediatley. If he sustains the slightest trauma he could bleed to death." said Amanda.   
  
"How did he get such high levels of Warfarin in his system?" asked Jesse.   
  
"That's a question we can tackle later," Mark said. "Right now the important thing is to get him admitted to a room and get started with the treatment. Jesse you go and set up a room and Amanda go and get a couple of orderlies and a gurney and meet me in the exam room. I'll go get Steve ready to be moved to a room. Oh, and Jesse tell Susan to get an IV set up so we can get an IV of Normal Saline going. Also, call the pharmacy and have the first dose of Vitamin K sent up here to the exam room stat."  
  
As Jesse and Amanda ran off to fulfill Mark's orders, Mark went into the exam room to talk to Steve and prepare him for what was about to happen to him and explain why it was necessary. When he walked into the room he stopped, shocked at what he discovered. There where Steve had been laying sleeping only moments earlier was an empty bed. No one had heard him leave. He could be anywhere. All Mark could think about was he had to find Steve now before it was to late. But where to start looking. Mark didn't even know for sure how long Steve had been gone.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
With a smile on his face and a light heart Steve Sloan carelessly made his way to the cafeteria with a plan. He knew that he held a special place in Maggie's heart. He usualy could wrap her around his little finger and be rewarded with special little treats prepared especialy for him by the motherly old cook. Maggie knew Steve when he was just a little boy. He often visited her asking for jello or maybe an extra cookie she hid away hoping that the little blond haired, blue eyed boy would come calling down in the kitchen. She fell in love him the first time he turned that little freckled face up to her and called her Aunt Maggie. Yes even then Steve knew the way to her heart. She was so grateful that he seemed to enjoy the efforts she put into the cafeteria meals even if no one else did.   
  
Steve was shaken from his thoughts as a nurse nearly plowed into him with a medicine cart. He barely missed the collision by swerving to the far side of the cart while the nurse seemed to pay no notice of him and continued to barrel down the hall. Steve glanced up just in time to see Jesse heading in his direction. Quickly Steve ducked into the elevator in hopes of going unnoticed by the young doctor. As the elevator stopped at the next floor Steve was shoved to the very back against the wall as a nurse and orderly escorted a gurney with a sleeping young female patient as a passenger. He had to side step in order to escape being pinned as the elevator gave a slight lurch and the nurse lost her balance shoving the gurney back a little further. The gurney was pushed off the elevator as the doors slid open on the next floor. Steve pushed the button once again to the ground floor anxious to get on to the cafeteria and to Aunt Maggie. He was hoping to talk her out of some of her special cookies and a cold glass of milk. He was a little hungry after his nap. Maybe he could sneak back up to his dad's exam room before anyone knew he was missing. As he approached the door to the cafeteria, he had to duck in order to avoid being hit with a trash can that the custodian was swinging around in order to empty it in his large rolling dumpster. Finaly Steve was inside where he started trying to scout out Maggie.  
  
  
  
Mark was frantic trying to locate his truant son. He first called security to have them check the parking lot to see if Steve's truck was still there. While he waited for security to get back with him he called Captain Newman and explained the situation about Steve and the urgency to find him. Captain Newman promised to keep his eye out for him in case he managed to get away from the hospital. Next Mark called Amanda and told her that Steve was missing and that he needed her to gather a couple of the orderlies to help her look for him. Security called as soon as Mark hung up the phone to let him know that Steve's truck was still parked in the same spot he had left it in when he arrived earlier that day. After giving the guards orders to search the stair wells, Mark decided to head out to the lower floors to see if any of the staff had seen Steve wondering around. Sometimes Steve liked to go down and talk to some of the younger nurses that could be found at the desks monitoring patient charts and phones. He ran into Jesse on the second floor and soon filled him in on Steve's vanishing act. Jesse cursed under his breath trying to think where his friend could have gotten off too. As he and Mark walked towards the elevator bouncing ideas off of each other they ran into Amanda who running to chase them down seemed to have a little trouble catching breath.   
  
Once she could talk again she turned her smiling face to her colleagues and said "I think I know where he is."   
  
"Where?" Mark and Jesse both asked at the same time.   
  
"Think guys. Where does a growing boy go after he has taken a nap and wakes up with the munchies?"   
  
"Of course. He's gone to see Maggie. Jesse call her and tell her if she has Steve to hang onto him and not to let him leave. Amanda go get the gurney and the orderlies and meet me down there as soon as you can." said Mark as he punched the button of the elevator to the ground floor.  
  
Maggie was puzzled by Jesse's request but she assured the doctor she would hang on to Steve until his dad got there. She didn't realy think it would be much of a challenge because her favorite customer was busy eating cookies and drinking his second glass of milk. She looked at him with motherly concern as she waited for Mark to come and take charge of his son. She was a little apprehensive wondering if everything was alright with Steve. It seemed that trouble always followed him around. More often than she liked to admit, it would usually land him into the hospital. She knew he wasn't what anyone could call a model patient, and often tried to ease his stay by fixing special little tidbits she knew he liked.   
  
"Please Lord, let everything be ok with him. Don't let anything happen to him." she prayed as she waited for Mark.  
  
When Mark entered the cafeteria the first thing he saw was Steve sitting with Maggie munching on cookies and trying to talk her out of just one more for the road. He was relieved to hear the friendly banter between the two of them as Maggie informed Steve he had eaten enough because she didn't want him to spoil his supper. As Mark approached he suddenly had an onslaught of mixed emotions.   
  
Because of the sudden flood of all these feelings rushing at once Mark lashed out at Steve, "Where have you been young man. Do you know that I have had half of this hospital looking for you. You were told not to leave the exam room. I told you not to get off the bed. You had me, Amanda, and Jesse worried out of our minds trying to find you. You have no idea how serious this is."  
  
Steve looked up at his father with the proper look of a chastised child on his face. When he started to open his mouth to explain, Mark held up his hand to silence his infuriating offspring. One look at his father's face and Steve knew he was in big trouble and that nothing he could say was going to get him out of any lecture or punishment his father was ready to pursue. He sat quietly as Mark continued to scold him for not staying put. Because he was so upset for making his dad mad at him he almost missed the last bit of fury Mark was aiming at him. Warfarin? Where had he heard that before? Something in the back of his mind was shooting signals to his brain trying get through to him that there was something terribly wrong with him.   
  
Just as Mark was finishing his tirade at Steve, Amanda appeared with two orderlies and a gurney. Mark walked over to Steve and explained that they were going to place him on the gurney and take him up to his newly assigned hospital room. Steve opened his mouth to protest against having to go up on the gurney, but one look from his father and he quickly shut it and gave in without any further protest. The orderlies very gently lifted him onto the gurney where he was strapped down and covered with a light blanket. After raising the sides the group started up to Steve's room.   
  
Steve never said a word as one of the orderlies and his father helped him change into a hospital gown and settle him into bed. From his bed Steve watched in total silence as nurses and doctors hustled around hooking him up to an IV. He gritted his teeth as the nurse inserted the needle into the back of his hand and taped it down to secure it. There was a lot of talk between Jesse, Amanda, and his dad that he didn't quite understand, but it didn't sound very good. What ever they had planned for him he was sure he wasn't going to like it. Something was said about Vitamin K and subcutaneous. This was a term he had heard before but couldn't quite remember what it was in regards to. A nurse soon appeared with an injection which really didn't concern him to much since he assumed that it would be injected into his IV. That thought soon gave over to panic when his dad reached over and lifted his gown exposing his stomach. As Mark took an alcohol swab and cleaned an area on his right lower abdomen Steve quickly moved to protest and ask what his dad was doing.   
  
"Son these Vitamin K shots have to be given subcutaneously. That means I have to give them to you in your stomach because that's the biggest area, and we can't keep giving them into the same injection sight repeatedly." Mark calmnly tried to explain to his horrified son.   
  
"No way are you going to shoot that into my stomach Dad. What do you mean the biggest area for injection sights. How many injections do you have to give me. Why do you have to give me injections anyway? " Steve rappidly fired at his father.   
  
"Steve someone has slipped you heavy doses of Warfarin and your blood is unable to clot properly. We have to give you Vitamin K to help your blood to start clotting again. Vitamin K counteracts the effects of Warfarin. We will have to continue monitering your protime until it's back to normal. Then we can discontinue the injections. Until then please cooperate Steve and don't fight us on this treatment. It's for your own good." Mark tried to explain to his son.   
  
Once again Mark cleaned off the area he had originaly selected for the injection and administered the shot into his son's abdomin. Steve became nauseated as he felt the needle slide into his skin. Soon that was replaced as a slight stinging appeared. It was all over in just a few seconds but he was sweating and holding his breath. The next thing he noticed was a gentle hand on his forhead and Amanda leaning over him coaxing him to take a deep breath because it was all over now. When Steve looked up he saw his father looking at him with sympathy. Mark took Steve's hand and tried to comfort his son but Steve wasn't buying into it. It had already been made clear to him that their was more to come. Something he wasn't sure he could handle.   
  
Recognising the look on Steve's face, Mark once again tried to explain to his son the severity of his condition. "Steve, if you don't stay in this bed you are more than likely going to die. You don't even get out of this bed to go to the bathroom without permission. We have to monitor blood in your urine and stools anyway so it's bedpans and urinals for you until further notice. I'm not kidding Steve. Do you understand me?"   
  
"Yes sir." was all Steve could say.   
  
He looked around for support from Amanda and Jesse but only got the same look from them that he was getting from his father. This was not going to be easy for him, and everyone in the room knew it.   
  
Chapter Five  
  
Steve layed quietly in his hospital bed while the activity around him continued. He listened as orders were given for pads to be put on the bed rails and no cutlery except for a spoon was to be brought in for his meals. Anything that could be a potential hazard to the young detective was ordered to be removed from the room. Schedules were being disscussed on how often blood samples would be taken for testing, and when each dose of the Vitamin K would be administered. Suddenly the room became quiet and the only people left were Mark, Jesse, and Amanda. Mark looked at Steve, and with as much conviction as he could muster, started trying to reasure his son that everything was going to be ok and he would soon be back on his feet in top form. But the question that seemed to be on everybodies mind was how Steve got the Warfarin into his system in the first place.   
  
"Try to think back son. What have you had to eat or drink in the last two or three days that maybe could have been doctored with the drug?" asked Mark.  
  
"Nothing that you guys haven't eaten. You and I have had breakfast together for the last three days. I had lunch here yesterday and today. We had supper at Bob's last night. The only thing I can think of is coffee. I've drank about two gallons in the last two days trying to stay awake while doing my reports at the precinct. But I don't know how anyone could have given me the drug there. I'm not the only one who drank coffee. Everyone drinks coffee from the same pot." Steve commented.   
  
"Not necessarily." Amanda contributed.   
  
"Yea, anyone could maybe spike an individual mug when no one was looking. Did you leave your cup anywhere you weren't at any time during the day?" asked Jesse.   
  
"Well if you mean did I attach the handle to my wrist with my handcuffs the answer is no." Steve gave Jesse a glaring look.   
  
"Well then anyone could have walked up to the mug while you were somewhere else and slipped the Warfarin in without being noticed." Jesse said with a smug look on his face.   
  
"Don't you think I would have noticed if someone was messing around my desk when I was away for a minute. I don't even remember seeing anyone there that doesn't belong. Well, except for an occasional suspect, or someone brought in for questioning or.... " Steve trailed his coment off as he realised that people were in and out of the squad room all day long and because of the normalcy of it, he never paid attention to who might or might not be there out of spite for him.   
  
Mark moved over to the phone and called the precinct and asked for Captain Newman. While he waited for the captain to come onto the line he explained to the others that maybe Steve's coffee cup might still be on his desk and he wanted it taken into evidence in case there was a chance that traces of Warfarin were still in the cup. Once he spoke to the Captain and explained what was going on and the fact that Steve would be layed up for a while he requested that they take the cup and the contents and have it analyzed for the drug. With the Captain's assurance that it was being done as they were speaking, Mark thanked the concerned Captain and hung up the phone.   
  
"Now my friends it's time to try and figure out who and why Steve is being drugged. Obviously someone with at least a small amount of nowledge of the drug. They knew how to give it and what the results would be."   
  
"Man, who did you tick off this time buddy?" Jesse asked with a slight grin.   
  
"Oh, I don't know. Let's see. Maybe it was the guy I picked up last week for beating his wife into a coma. Or maybe one of the hundred's of slimeballs I've helped to convict for the last 16 years while on the force. I pretty much tick off everyone I arrest, Jess. Any ideas where to start looking? Maybe we should just go back and start with the first bust I ever made and go down the list. It should only take the next two or three hundred years to locate and question them." Steved said with sarcasm.   
  
"You don't have to be so snappish. I was only trying to help. You might want to remember who the doctor is here. You could be the recipient of some very uncomfortable treatments. I mean very uncomfortable." Jesse retorted with a bit of attitude.   
  
"Boys that's enough. Steve I know you are worried about what's going to happen to you while you're here, but it's not Jesse's fault so try and be a little more tolerant. He's only trying to help." said Mark.   
  
"Yea, a little less attitude would be nice." Jesse smugly responded.   
  
"On the other hand Jesse, you know this isn't going to be easy for Steve either so you could try to be a little more understanding of how hard this is for him." Mark looked at the young doctor with eyebrows raised. "Now both of you behave and make nice before I make you hug each other and apologise." As Mark was saying this he turned toward Amanda and grined with a twinkle in his eye.   
  
She caught this and smiled sweetly and added. "I'm sure the boys are going to behave from here on out. Aren't you?" she said as she gave each one a no nonsense look.   
  
"Yes mommy." both boys said at the same time.  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Steve was so bored that he was soon squirming around in his bed trying to think of something to occupy his mind. Nothing on TV seemed to hold his interest for very long and soon he turned the set off with a little bit of a whiney moan escaping his lips. He was trying to figure out what he could do to amuse himself when he suddenly saw that there was a magazine laying on the window seat of his room. Steve knew he wasn't suppose to leave his bed but if he was very careful and very quiet and very quick he could get the magazine before anyone came into the room. It wasn't like he was running down the hall or throwing himself at some escaping suspect. He just had to be careful and not bump into anything on his way to the ledge and back to his bed. After some careful maneuvering he managed to get past the bed rails and had one foot on the floor when all of a sudden he lost his balance and nearly hit the floor when he felt strong arms grab him from behind and catch him. As he was being settled back into bed he saw that his Captain was the one who had saved him from winding up on the floor. As he looked over Captain Newman's shoulder he saw his father standing there with a look that made Steve shrink back into his pillows. He knew he was in big trouble and that nothing was going to save him from his father's wrath.   
  
"Steven Michael Sloan, what do you think you were trying to do? If you had fallen onto the floor you could have bled to death internally. You were told to stay in that bed and as soon as my back was turned you try to slip out and totaly disregard anything you have been told. Well that's it young man. From here on out you will not be allowed alone. I will get you a babysitter so that someone can keep an eye on you day and night." thundered Mark. "Captain, can you sit with my son for just a few moments while I arrange for someone to come and watch over him so that he has no choice but to do as he is told and stays in bed?"   
  
"Of course Mark. I would be happy to see that Steven Michael stays put." Captain Newman replied as he gave Steve a grin noticing that the detective was looking very much like a child who got caught sneaking out of bed to persue some imaginary adventure.   
  
As Mark turned to leave on his errand he glanced back at his son with a glare and a "Don't you move until I get back. Do you understand me."   
  
"Yes sir." was all Steve could say.   
  
When he looked at his captain he noted a very amused smirk on his superior's face. "Is there some reason why you are here sir?" asked Steve sheepishly.   
  
"You mean other than saving you from falling on your fannie and making sure you behave yourself while your father rounds up a sitter for you? Actualy, yes. We found your cup and had the contents analyzed for traces of Warfarin." said Captain Newman. "We found significant traces of the drug in your cup. Someone was out to get you Steve. We don't have a clue who, so I'm posting a guard on your door."   
  
"Dad said that I had been drugged over the last two or three days. I don't remember seeing anyone hanging around that I would have recognised. I don'even have a clue who would want to do this. Who ever it was had to have been at the presinct. As many people who come in and out of there anyone could have done it." said Steve.   
  
"Well, who ever it is, he or she aren't likely to stop until they are satisfied that you are dead. You need to stay put and do as your dad says. I have people going over some of your case files trying to see if their might be something that could lead us to who ever is trying to do this to you. Just relax and let us do the police work this time. You do as your told and you'll be back before you know it." This last part was said to encourage the detective since he looked rather sober at the thought of being stuck in bed unable to help find out who was out to get him.   
  
Steve couldn't remember the last time he felt so helpless and dependent on others. It was a feeling he was unable handle with much grace or patience.  
  
  
  
Soon Mark returned with a rather sour looking nurse who had one of those no nonsence kind of looks on her face. When Mark introduced her to his son, she turned to the rather sullen patient and using a drill sergeant tone informed him that he was under her care and at no such time would she tolerate any insubordination from him. Steve shrank back into the bed as she continued to layout the rules while she was in charge. Steve gave his father a rather desperate look as the stout nurse continued her sermon. Mark stood by and smiled as the nurse finished drilling Steve by asking him if he understood everything she had just explained to him. He was sure his son felt like he had just been given the Miranda Act as Steve rather meekly answered with a "Yes Ma'am."   
  
Captain Newman decided that since Steve looked like he would be kept under tight scrutiny it would be ok for him to leave. Giving Mark a knowing grin he excused himself and left the room being very glad it wasn't him being left under the charge of the nurse he was sure was used to having her orders carried through without question. Newman wondered if she was still "Looking For A Few Good Men."   
  
Steve soon found out that he was to refer to his new private nurse as Mrs. Grant. For about an hour Steve tried his best to do exactly what Mrs. Grant asked of him. He finally gave up and went to sleep out of self-defence. While he slept the stern nurse busied herself with straightening up the room and preparing things for a bed bath for her patient as soon as he woke from his nap. Suddenly a male nurse appeared in the door with a pill cup and a cup of water. He informed Mrs. Grant that it was time for Steve's pill. The old nurse was confused about the medication.   
  
"I'm sorry. Dr. Sloan didn't mention to me that Steve would be taking any other medication. I would like for you to wait here until I check his chart. Please don't give him any medication until I get back from the Nurses Desk." which was more of a demand than a request.   
  
As soon as she left the room the male nurse quickly roused Steve just enough to slip the three small pills into his mouth and encouraged the sleepy patient to wash them down with a quick sip of water. As soon as he was satisfied the pills were well on their to Steve's system he slipped out before Mrs. Grant could return. Once she made her way back into the room the mysterious nurse was no where to be found. Not being given all the details of how Steve had come to have the Warfarin in his system she didn't question why the other nurse had been in Steve's room. She just assumed that maybe he had gotten mixed up on the room numbers and realised his mistake once he checked Steve's hospital ID bracelet. She did ask the guard which was posted at Steve's door if he had seen the other nurse leave and which direction he had gone. Something about the situation didn't sit well with her. However, she shoved all this to the back of her mind and went back to her duties.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
When Jesse and Mark returned to Steve's room after their shifts were over, they found Steve sitting up in bed looking very perturbed.   
  
"What's wrong son?" Mark asked Steve.  
  
"I don't like her. She's bossy and she insisted on giving me a bath. I think I can take care of that myself. I'm pretty sure I won't bruise myself on the soap or washrag. She watches me like a hawk. If I even look sideways she's all over me. Dad she is driving me crazy. Please I promise I'll do anything you say. Just don't leave me alone with her anymore." pleaded Steve.   
  
"Sorry son, but she is your special quardian angel while I'm not in the room with you. She's very effecient and is a very good nurse. I've heard she has never lost a patient yet. And she seems to have everything under control in here. No, she will be staying until we get you back to your normal sunny self kiddo. By the way it's time to draw more blood so we can check your protime. Now be still so we can get another sample." said Mark.   
  
Steve turned his head so he couldn't see his father stick his finger for the blood sample. He jerked his hand as soon as the lancet pricked his finger. Once the sample had been drawn Jesse and Mrs. Grant attended to the bleeding finger as Mark rushed the sample to the lab. It seemed like no matter what they did Steve's finger just continued to bleed for the longest time. Finally after what seemed to be forever, the flow of blood seemed to slow down and they were able to get a bandaide on his finger without blood seeping through.   
  
Mark was half way down the corrider when he heard his name being called and turned to see Jesse running to catch up with him.   
  
"Mark hold up a minute. I just got the results back on Steve's protime. I don't understand but it's still way to long. It's above twenty-five seconds."   
  
"Wow, that's no better than it was before the Vitamin K shot. I can't understand why it's still so long." puzzled Mark. "We don't have a choice but to give him another dose of Vitamin K now. Go see if you can find Rocky. Steve may not lay still for another shot and we may need some help to hold him down. I'll have the injection brought to the room and then go see if I can prepare him for what's comming."   
  
Jesse went in search of the big orderly while Mark made his way up to the floor where Steve's room was on. As he approached the nurses desk to order the shot he noticed a male nurse hanging around the charts. Something about him didn't seem right, but Mark had other things on his mind to ponder on it for any length of time. He needed to talk to Steve and get him prepared for the next injection. He knew that his son was not going to receive this little bit of news with very much grace and so he steeled himself for the confrontation that he knew was inevitable. Mark walked into the room and found Steve sitting up in bed arguing with Mrs. Grant on weather he was capable of cutting up his own chicken that the cafateria had sent up on his supper tray.   
  
"Dad tell her that I can feed myself and that I don't need her to cut up my meat as if I was some kind of two year old. Stop tucking that napkin in under my chin." he aimed at the nurse.   
  
Mark couldn't help but be amused at the whole scene.   
  
"You know Dr. Sloan I think your son is getting too big for his britches. If I wasn't afraid of bruising him I swear I think I would turn him over my knee and teach him some manners and patience. You will let me cut up your chicken or you can just pick it up with your fingers. Your choice young man." stormed the nurse with her mouth set in a firm straight line.   
  
Both nurse and patient glared at each other for several seconds when Steve realised that reasoning with the stubborn women was out of the question. Mark hated to bring up the subject but he needed to give Steve some warning of the impending shot and he knew that he didn't have much time before Jesse and Rocky would be emerging through Steve's door.   
  
"Steve I hate to tell you this but the results from the protime were still too long. We have to give you another shot like we did before. I know it was unpleasant but we don't have a choice."   
  
As Steve started to protest Mark just held up his hand and continued. "Jesse and Rocky will be here in a minute and there isn't anything you can say or do to stop it. I'm sorry but this is the only way to counteract the Warfarin in your system. I'm hoping that this will take care of it. But until your protime is fourteen or below we will have to continue with this treatment."   
  
"Isn't there any other way you can give me the Vitamin K. I don't want another shot like that. It makes me ill just thinking about it." Steve complained.   
  
Mark felt sorry for his son. He knew this whole ordeal was as about as bad as it could get for Steve, But there just wasn't anything he could do to make it easier for him. Just as he was about to try and encourage Steve to hang in there Jesse and Rocky came through the door. Jesse was holding the syringe and Steve saw it. He knew he was being childish but something inside him wouldn't let him just lay still and take the injection. Before he knew what was happening he had his father on one side and the big orderly on the otherside both placing a hand on his shoulders. Jesse reached for the end of his hospital gown and pulled it up just enough to expose his abdomen and cleaned a sight for the injection. Steve once again held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut. As he felt the small needle pierce his stomach he pitched just a little. The hands on his shoulders pressed a little firmer to hold him still while Jesse pushed the plunger of the syringe and the medication started it's way into his system. It was just all in his mind but suddenly Steve felt a strong wave of nausea overcome him. Mrs. Grant was there with an emesis basin and a washcloth before he could even express his fear of becoming sick. She gently held his head as he emptied his stomach into the small kidney shape bowl and once he had regained control of his stomach she very carefully bathed his face with the cool rag. Suddenly she was not the hard nurse who had earlier threatened to teach him a justified lesson in manners. Instead she was very softly talking and trying to comfort him. For the first time since she had shown up in his room, Steve was grateful for the older experienced nurse who seemed to know just what to do to comfort him during his ordeal.   
  
As Mark and Jesse continued to monitor Steve for the next few minutes a shadowy figure stepped back around the corrider cursing the fact that once again it seemed that his efforts were going to be foiled by the precence of too many people hanging around the detective. Some how he had to get Sloan to fall or collide with something to cause enough trauma so that he would bleed to death. Because of the injection that he had just received another dose of Warfarin would have to be administered. This itself was going to be tricky. No way was he going to just waltz in there and hand the detective a cup full of pills this time. Nurse Busybody was sticking so close to her patient that even the doctors were probably having a hard time getting close to him. Somehow he had to administer another dose, maybe in some food or even a glass of juice. Yes, a nice cold glass of apple juice would just hit the spot for the detective. Maybe even help settle his stomach. Then later out in the hall if he could pull it off a diversion of the right magnitude might just coax the old nurse and the guard away long enough for him to get into Sloan's room and finish him off with a little accident. There just doesn't seem to be any time like the present to put a good plan into action. The man dressed in scrubs moved quickly off to prepare a little treat for Detective Sloan. This business will be finished before the night is over.   
  
Chapter Eight   
  
Captain Newman, and a couple of Steve's colleagues continued to plow through old case files in hopes of maybe getting a clue of who wanted Steve dead. The fact that the detective was a target wasn't really a surprise. It was just part of the job. The real clue would be to see if the method being used to do away with him would shed any light on who was resposible. Who ever was responsible had to have some knowledge of the drug. If they could just find a connection then maybe they could figure out who and why. All of a sudden something caught Newman's attention. Steve apparently arrested a woman who had been able to administer heavy doses of Warfarin to the lead driver of her racing team. Because of financial mismanagement she was going to be unable to pay off her investors if she had a winning team. When sabotaging the engines and tires didn't work she chose to use the Warfarin so that if the driver had any kind of trauma he would bleed to death and no one could trace the drug back to her. Unfortunately she had been found out and thus sent to jail. She had a mental break down and was unable to recover. She was found dead in her cell where she had hung herself by making a noose with her bed sheets. She had a brother who seemed very upset at the time. He apparently made some threats about seeking revenge, however nothing ever seemed to have come of it at the time. After thinking about what he had just read, Newman decided to persue this little lead to see if maybe it might lead to something bigger. In the mean time he made a call to the hospital to check on Steve and to make sure that the guard hadn't noticed anything unusual. After a brief word with the guard Newman asked to speak to Mark.   
  
"Mark, this is Jim Newman. How is Steve doing?"   
  
"Well we had to give him another dose of Vitamin K just awhile ago. For some reason his protime still isn't up to parr. I'm hoping that this dose will show a drastic change." sighed Mark.   
  
"Should the first dose have taken care of it?" Newman wanted to know.   
  
"Not necessarily 100%. But it should have made a difference. His protime is just as long as it was before the first dose. It should have decressed some." replied Mark with some concern edging in his voice.   
  
Newman picked up on it and for some reason he felt that he should caution the older doctor to watch out for anyone at the hospital that maybe didn't belong. "Stay close to Steve, Mark. Who ever gave him the drug to begin with won't stop just because he is in the hospital. Be wary of anything that doesn't seem right to you. You have good instincts. Rely on them. It could save Steve's life." warned the Captain.   
  
"Jim have you managed to come up with anything that could lead you to who is doing this?" Mark asked with hope in his voice.   
  
"Maybe, but it's to early for me to say yet. I just ran across something that might pan out but I need to do a little checking before I can say for sure. Hang in there because we won't stop looking until we know who and why. I promise you that much. Try to get some rest you sound tired. I need you alert to keep a look out for him. You know that hospital like the back of your hand. You also know just about everyone that works there. Give me a call day or night if anything looks out of the way. I'll call you as soon as I can tomorrow. Hopefully with some positive news. Goodnight Mark."   
  
"Goodnight Jim, and thanks. I know your putting in extra time on this and I want you to know I really appreciate it. Steve does too. You get some rest too. I'll wait for your call tomorrow." Mark sighed as he hung up the phone. He knew he should get some rest but until they could get a handle on Steve's protime then he doubted that he would be able to settle down enough to actually get any.   
  
Mark wanted to check on two more patients before he returned to Steve's room to settle down for the night. He made arrangements to have a cot placed into his son's room in order to try and get a little rest and at the same time keep an eye on him. Thirty minutes later Mark started making his way back to Steve's room wondering if the last dose of Vitamin K would start counteracting the affects of the Warfarin. Just as he neared the door he almost ran into one of the nurses aides who was bearing a cup with a lid and straw sticking out of it.   
  
"Oh, excuse me Doctor Sloan. I almost ran right into you. I'm sorry I should have been looking where I was going." cried the young woman.   
  
With a warm smile Mark reached out to steady the aide as she almost lost her balance. "I think it's me who should be apologizing Sarah. I have so much on my mind I wasn't looking where I was going. You didn't spill your drink did you?"   
  
"Oh, this isn't mine. This is for your son. They sent it up from the kitchen. I think Maggie was a little concerned that he didn't eat very much of his supper tonight. Apple juice might taste pretty good to him about now. don't you think?" more of a comment from the bubbly aide than a question.   
  
"Im sure he will enjoy it. Why don't you come in and give it to him and we'll see." Mark knew that some of the younger female aides and nurses enjoyed any opportunity to bestow a little attention on his handsome son.   
  
It seemed to amuse him that their constant attention seemed to be lost on the young detective no matter how obvious it was. Of course Steve's main focus while in the hospital was on how soon he could get out. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that there was always an aide or nurse hovering around to see to his every comfort. Mark knew that the little aide would be excited if she could present Steve with the juice and maybe fuss just a little over him. He hoped that Steve would be kind enough to show his appreciation by thanking her with one of his smiles that seemed to melt the hearts of most the females who received one.   
  
As Mark and Sarah entered the room they were greeted with with some good natured bantering as Jesse and Steve seemed to be involved in a hand of poker. Jesse was as usual accusing Steve of cheating in some way and Steve was very smuggly trying to explain to the younger man that it wasn't his fault that he was a much superior card player.   
  
"Jesse I don't have to cheat to beat you. You wear your hand all over your face. You have to develop more of a poker face if you plan to beat me." smarted off Steve.   
  
"Must I keep reminding you that I could and will introduce you first hand to some of those uncomfortable treatments if you don't stop picking on me." Jesse smiled at Steve as he responded to Steve's rather impish grin.   
  
Steve never said a word. He just continued to grin back at Jesse which seemed to irritate the young doctor. Probably because he knew Steve was right. Jesse just couldn't seem to contain himself when he got excited. Even though he was a thirty year old man he sometimes came across as an excited three year old. This however was what probably attracted everyone to him. No one could resist his enthusiasm and boyish charm that he seemed to have a never ending supply of. Mark cleared his throat in hopes of gaining the attention of his two boys. It seemed to have the desired affect as both Jesse and Steve looked over to where Mark stood with a giggling Sarah by his side.   
  
"If you two can't play nice with each other I'll just have to seperate you. Besides Sarah has brought you a special treat Steve." Mark admonished the two.   
  
Sarah walked over to Steve and handed him the cup of cold juice and as Mark had hoped Steve showed the young aide his gratitude by thanking her and giving her a smile which sent her heart into a flutter. She seemed to hesitate for just a moment when suddenly she realised that she needed to say something.   
  
"Is there anything I can get for you Lieutenant or maybe do for you before I leave." asked the young girl.   
  
"No, but thanks for the juice and for your concern." Steve told her as he took a sip of the cold juice. "Mmm, apple juice. My favorite. Especialy when it's good and cold like this."   
  
The young aide once again seemed to hesistate to leave and Steve smiled at and said. "Maybe you could bring me some more later Ms. uhh."   
  
"It's Sarah, I would love to get you more juice anytime. Just call and tell them you want me to bring you some more. I guess I better get back to work. Call me if you need anything ok. I'll be here all night. I mean my shift just started and I will be available to help out, so just let me know." Sarah knew she was babbling but she couldn't seem to help herself as she backed out of Steve's room. When he smiled at her she nearly forgot what she was doing.   
  
Steve waved at her as she turned to exit and Jesse looked at Steve with a disgusted look on his face. "How do you do that. It's ridiculous the way they seem to fall all over themselves to wait on you hand and foot."   
  
"It's nothing Jesse. I can't explain it but you either have it or you don't. I do and you don't." beamed Steve.   
  
"You have something alright and it requires rolling up your pants leg." mumbled Jesse.   
  
"Your just jealous and thats all there is to it. Now are you ready for another hand of poker or are you ready to admit defeat." Steve sipped on his cup of juice with a cheshire's cat grin aimed at his best friend.   
  
Jesse was struggling with a come back and finding none he just threw up his hands and informed the laid up detective, "I'm sorry but I must be leaving now. You see I have a date with a very pretty young lab tech who thinks that I am very irresistable. In fact the last time we went out she could barely keep her hands off of me. But you could always play solitare. Now I bid you adeu." with that Jesse turned and left a very deflated Steve looking after him.  
  
Mark sat chuckling at this exchange between the two boys wondering how he and Steve had ever gotten along before Jesse became a part of their lives. He had wormed his way into their lives and their hearts. He was a second son to Mark and a little brother for Steve. Mark felt that Jesse had been the best thing that had happened to Steve since Carol had left some six years earlier. Steve felt lost after his sister had left. He no longer had a younger sibbling to look out for and protect. Jesse had some how filled this void and Mark knew that Steve enjoyed his protective role toward the young doctor. However, Mark knew that Jesse had saved Steve's bacon a few times also. More times than Mark wanted to count, Steve had been wheeled in to the ER with one injury or another. Jesse had always been there to support and attend to Steve during these trying times. Just like now. Mark knew that Jesse wouldn't be leaving the hospital to go on some date. He knew if he looked he would find Jesse making himself comfortable in one of the on call rooms, reluctant to leave in case he was needed quickly for Steve. Mark had grown very fond of Jesse and never thought of him as anything other than a younger son. He couldn't even begin to express his gratitude for the careful attention and concern that Jesse always showed Steve on the numerous occasions that he was brought in.   
  
Mark was brought out of his reverie by the slurping sound of Steve sucking up the last of his juice through the straw. Mark smiled with some amusement as he watched his son trying to suck up every drop of the apple juice not wanting to waste any of the sweet nectar. Sighing with satisfaction Steve looked up to see his father observing him with an amused smile on his lips.   
  
"What?" asked Steve aiming an innocent look towards his father.   
  
"I could have Sarah bring you some more juice if you like son." laughed Mark.   
  
"No thanks dad." grined Steve. "What I realy want is a shower."   
  
"I thought Mrs. Grant gave you a bath before she left for the evening?"   
  
"She did Dad, but I really want a shower. I know that if I could just let the water run over me I could settle down more comfortably for the night. Please Dad? I'll be ok. I promise to be careful and everything. Just a short one? You know how relaxed you feel after a nice hot shower? You could even get an orderly in here to help."   
  
Just as Steve started to gear up for some serious begging a loud commotion outside his door startled him and his father. Just as Steve threw back the bed covers Mark turned to him and with a very stern look ordered his son to stay in bed and not to move under any circumstances.   
  
"I'll be right back. I need to see what all the noise is about. Don't you follow me. Do you understand."   
  
"Yes sir." was all Steve had time to say as Mark moved out into the hall.  
  
Chapter Nine   
  
What Mark saw shocked him into instant action. A small fire had been noticed in one of the supply closets and was threating to gain out of control. Mark and the guard that had been posted at Steve's door both moved towards fire extinguisher to try to stop the fire from gaining any more space. As Mark, the guard and several other personnel worked feverishly trying to maintain the fire, the male nurse who had appeared earlier in Steve's room once again found his way by Steve's bedside. When Steve saw him he immediately asked the nurse what was going on.   
  
"Some one discovered a fire in the supply closet. Your dad and some of the other staff are trying to gain control of it. Your dad asked me to come in here and stay with you until he could get back in here with you."   
  
"Is he ok. He's not in any danger is he." Steve could feel the fear grip him as he pictured his father out there trying to put the fire out with just a fire extinguisher.   
  
"Your dad is fine. The fire wasn't that big and several people are out there trying to control it. The fire department are on the way so he should be back any minute. Is there anything I can do for you while we wait for your dad to return?" asked the nurse.   
  
"Could you help me get a shower. I really would feel a lot better if I could just take a quick one. Dad won't let me take one by myself. He's afraid of me falling or something. You know how dads can be. Maybe before he gets back I could shower and get back into bed."   
  
"Sure. I think I could help you with that. I know what you mean about a relaxing shower. Nothing can be more soothing. Let me get these rails down and help you up. Let's take off the gown and underwear here. Slip this robe on. Careful. There you go, now careful. Lets get the shower going so it won't be cold when you step in. Here let me help you with the robe, don't want you to loose your balance and fall. Be very careful as you step into the tub. That's it. Now doesn't that feel better?" The nurse kept up the monologue the whole time he was helping Steve into the shower.   
  
As Steve stood there under the hot jets of water he closed his eyes and allowed the water to sooth away some of the aches he developed from lying in the bed for so long without being able to get up. Suddenly he felt a pair of rough hands grab him and throw him roughly across the side of the tub. Steve's stomach made contact with the side as he went down. A sharp pain suddenly developed in his chest and he couldn't seem to catch his breath. He tried to look around for the nurse who had helped him into the shower but he was nowhere to be found. He couldn't seem to form a coherent thought except he wanted his dad. Soon Steve could no longer hang on to conciousness and he let himself succumb to the blackness that was hovering.  
  
Chapter Ten   
  
Mark gave a sigh of relief as the fire department took over fighting the already controlled blaze. Thanks to the quick thinking of himself and the guard that had been standing by his son's door the small fire had not spread past the closet and the damage had been contained to the supplies in the closet only. As he walked back towards his son's room he realized that no one had been with his son for nearly twenty minutes. Mark picked up the pace and burst into Steve's room to find the bed empty and the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. Anger flared all over Mark as he stormed towards the bathroom. He wished that his son could just one time do as he was told. Just as he opened his mouth and the door to the bathroom what he saw made him freeze momentarily unable to move. There laying across the tub was Steve half in and half out. Water was still running over his limp frame.   
  
"Oh, my God! Steve! Steve can you here me?!"   
  
Mark reached his son cradling his wet head in his hands feeling for a pulse on the side of his neck. It was faint but it was there. Mark reached and pushed the emergency button located above the toilet. As he waited for someone to answer his call he reached up and turned the faucets cutting off the water. With in seconds a nurse was standing in the door to see what the emergency was.   
  
"Quickly, get me some help in here. We'll need a couple of orderlies and page Dr. Traveis to meet me here, Stat."   
  
The nurse was running to carry out the orders before Mark could even take a breath. Within a couple of minutes Steve was being picked up and gently laid on his bed. One of the nurses was trying to towel a little of the water from his body when Jesse appeared at the door.   
  
"What happened?" he asked while moving to the side of Steve's bed.   
  
"There was a fire in the supply closet a few minutes ago. I went to check it out and apparently while I was out of the room Steve decided to go and take a shower. Even after I gave him strict orders not to get out of his bed. I shouldn't have left him. If.."   
  
"Stop it Mark! This isn't your fault! It's no ones fault. It just happened. Now we have to help him and you have to keep your mind on now and not what if." Jesse's words had the affect he was hoping for, because Mark immediately snapped into to doctor mode and started giving orders to his staff that had assembled into Steve's room.   
  
  
  
Mark immediately turned to the nurse and ordered "Get a crash cart in her immediately just in case. Call Radiology I want a portable Abdominal series done stat!! Jesse, How's his Blood Pressure?"   
  
"It's 80/40 and dropping Mark! His abdomen is very ridged and hard! He's bleeding into his abdominal cavity. Get one unit of O neg. blood up here stat and then I want a CBC and Type and Cross match for 4 more units! I want another protime and tell the lab I want it yesterday."  
  
One of the nurses started taking Steve's vital signs and imediatley reported. "Doctor's his Pulse is 120 and very weak. His Blood pressure I can't hear at all and can only feel it at 54."   
  
Mark was so scared and in a voice that was quivering turned to Jesse and said. " We're loosing him"   
  
"No we aren't Mark. He's a fighter. Steve, come on buddy you can fight back, Damnit! Come on fight buddy! Where's that blood!!"   
  
"Here it is Doctor I'm hanging it now." As soon as the nurse had the blood hung she started it wide open.   
  
She then went to the other side and started a second IV because she knew that they would probably want another IV access for emergency medication. As soon as the second IV of Lactated Ringers was set up she turned it wide open to help bring Steves blood pressure back up. Steve was in hemorrhagic shock now and they had only minutes to bring him out before brain damage set in. Radiology soon arrived but everyone continued to work until they could get a rise in Steve's blood pressure.   
  
"Mark I'm going to give him an amp of Epi." Jesse said.   
  
The heart monitor was starting to show premature ventricular contractions due to loss of blood and Mark gave Steve some Lidocain and had the nurse start a drip.   
  
Suddenly Steve's heart stoped and the alarm on the heart monitor started screaming. Everyone jumped to attention like a well choreographed dance number. Everyone knowing their place and their duty.   
  
"Charge the paddles to 200 jeules! Clear!" Jesse defibrilates Steve but no results . "Charge to 360 jeules! Clear!" Again he defibrilates Steve and to everyone's relief they got a heartbeat again.   
  
Jesse checked Steves Blood Pressure and sighed with relief. "Mark it's back up to 90/50. Let's get that X-Ray now."   
  
Mark nodded and stepped back against the wall. As he leaned against the wall he shut his eyes and tried very hard to keep his emotions from coming to the surface. He realised that Steve was still in danger and he must keep himself distant from his feelings so that he can think clearly for the sake of his son. Everyone stepped back so Radiology could get to Steve and do the needed filming of his abdomen. As they were waiting for the X-Rays to be done a nurse came running in and handed Mark and Jesse the lab results. Steve's protime was 29 seconds which was higher than it was to begin with and his CBC showed that his Hemoglobin was at 5.0 which should be at 14 and his hematocrit should have been at least 24 but was at 10.   
  
"Has Steve's blood been typed and cross matched yet?" asked Jesse.   
  
The sound of Jesse's voice seemed to pull Mark up from the pit he felt he had been plunged into and came to stand by his young colleague and render any assistance that he could to help save his son's life.   
  
"Two units ready." Mark said. "Lets get it started as soon as possible. I want one unit of frozen plasma started immediately. Jesse get a central line started so we have three ports that we can use, keep the other IVs going as well. I don't want to take any chances. Also give another dose of Vitamin K."   
  
As the activity began to slow down in the room, Mark once again started trying to figure out what exactly had happened to cause all of the last hours events.   
  
Without realizing that he was thinking out loud, he said, "I want to know why that boy was up and in that shower and I want to know as soon as he comes around. I want someone with him around the clock and I want someone we personally know. I'm going to stay with him tonight. No one is to leave his side for one second under any circumstances. Understood?" Jessie agreed and volunteered to set up with Amanda for future shifts.  
  
Mark settled down beside Steve's bed to keep a vigil over him, waiting until he came around. Mark knew that something about this whole thing wasn't right. He knew Steve wasn't the best patient and often had to be reminded to follow doctors orders. However he felt sure that his son understood how important it was for him to stay put unless he had help to get in and out of the shower. And why was the Vitamin K not counteracting the Warfarin? It was as if someone was still managing to slip him doses of the drug. Mark tried to think what Steve had eaten or drank that was different from everyone else. He barely touched his supper. He had drank water from the pitcher that was sitting on his bed side table. Suddenly Mark's eyes fell onto the empty cup that Sarah had brought to Steve earlier with the apple juice in it. Mark stared at the cup for a few minutes then he slowly rose and walked over to the cup and picked it up looking inside. The only thing left was a little water left over from the melted ice. Just as he decided to call Amanda the door slowly opened and Sarah peeked around to see if maybe she could get anything for her favorite doctor.   
  
Mark asked her to come in for a minute and started quizing her about the juice. "Sarah, you said that Maggie sent this cup of juice up because she was worried about Steve not eating much of his meal. Did you go down to the kitchen and get it personaly?"   
  
"No sir. One of the new nurses brought it to me and said that I was to bring it into your son. Is something wrong with it Dr. Sloan?"   
  
"I don't know yet but I plan to find out. Do you remember the name of the nurse who gave you the cup?"   
  
"No, to tell you the truth I don't remember ever seeing him before. He's been on the floor all day. I thought maybe that this was his first day. There's been several new nurses hired recently and I haven't gotten to know all of them yet. Is there anything else Dr. Sloan?"   
  
"No honey, thanks for your help. I'll call you if I need anything."   
  
Sarah smiled and exited out the door and was soon on her way to continue her shift. Mark walked over to the phone and called Amanda at home. A sleepy voice answered after about the fourth ring.   
  
"Amanda, I'm sorry for calling you so late. I need a favor from you. Is there anyway you can come in early tomorrow? I need you to run a test on this cup that the apple juice came in for Steve tonight."   
  
"Do you think that you'll find something that might explain what happened tonight?"   
  
"I don't know but something is wrong. I think some how he is still getting doses of Warfarin and I have to figure out how. From now on he eats and drinks only what we bring him from outside. That includes water, meals and anything else he puts in his mouth."   
  
"How is he doing right now?"   
  
"He seems to be stabilized for now." Just then Jesse came in with a nurse. "Amanda I need to let you go. Jesse's here and he's going to start a central line. We're going to give him another injection of Vitamin K and hang up a unit of frozen plasma. I'll see you in the morning."   
  
"Ok Mark. Give Steve a kiss for me, and try to get some rest."   
  
"I'll rest when I figure out who is trying to kill my son right here under my nose. Goodnight."   
  
Mark hung up the phone and watched as Jesse and the young nurse attended to his son. It appeared that Steve's breathing was even and less labored. The nurse checked his vital signs and to Mark's relief his blood pressure was up to 106/62. Even though it was still a little low it appeared to steadily be rising. Jesse checked the heart monitor and noted that his heart pattern was back to normal sinus rhythm. After Jesse and the nurse left the room Mark walked over to his son's bed and placed a hand over Steve's. Mark could feel the warmth from his son's hand and this gave the tired father a little comfort. Mark knew that Steve had come very close to hemorrhaging to death and who ever was trying to kill him would try again. The thought of this sent a surge of anger through him and before he realized it he slamed his fist into the wall causing the guard to run through the door with his gun drawn ready to confront any trouble that might be threating the detective and his father. Mark looked up with an embarrassed expression on his face and sheepishly explained to the guard that everything was ok.   
  
"I'm afraid that I let my emotions get the better of me and I tried to take it out on the wall. Sorry." The guard gave Mark a sympathetic look as he holstered his weapon and resumed his place out side the door. Mark pulled his chair up to the side of the bed and settled in for what he knew would be a long night.  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Mark was awakened by a Amanda the next morning before the sun even started to turn the sky pink.   
  
"You've been in that chair all night haven't you?" she asked with a look of motherly concern on her face. "Mark you need to let me or Jesse stay with him while you get some rest. If you don't your going to be of no use to Steve and he is going to need all of us. Please go to your office and get a few hours of rest. I'll sit with him and call you if anything happens."   
  
"No, first I want you to test this cup to see if you can find any traces of Warfarin in it. I don't know if there's enough left to test but see if you can. Then I'll get some rest, I promise."   
  
"Ok, but you may be right about not having enough to test. There's nothing left but melted ice. I'll try." she promised as she left the room with the cup and headed to the lab.   
  
Mark checked on Steve and noticed that his pulse was strong and the heart montor was still showing normal sinus rhythm. As he sat and waited for Steve to wake up Jesse came in carrying a large sack with a familiar local logo on the outside.  
  
"I went and got pancakes and bacon from that little coffee shop around the corner. I hope you're hungry because there's enough for an army in here."   
  
Mark smiled at his young friend and thanked him for breakfast. As the two doctors sat eating enjoying quiet small talk Steve opened his eyes and tried to remember where he was. He was a little confused because the last thing he remembered was taking a shower. He couldn't remember ever getting out and going back to bed. As he turned his head he saw the heart monitor and realised that something must have happened to him. As he layed quietly he could hear his dad and Jesse talking about one of their patients. Suddenly he realized that he was the patient that they were talking about. He tried to open his mouth to get his dad's attention but no sound would come from his throat. He ran his tongue over his lips and tried to swallow but his mouth was too dry. He turned his head towards the bedside table and realized that their was a pitcher of water and a cup sitting there. With considerable effort he managed to raise himself a little and reached for the water cup and pitcher. Mark noticed the movement and was instantly by his son's side with concern and gently guided him back down onto the pillows.   
  
"Steve you need to lay still. How do you feel?"   
  
With all the strength that he could muster Steve tried to point to the water pitcher and managed to croak out the word "Thirsty" Mark looked at the water pitcher and shook his head at his son.   
  
"Not this son. I'll go get you some fresh."  
  
Mark left the room with the pitcher and went in search for fresh ice and water. He could have asked one of the nurses to get the fresh pitcher of water for him but at this point Mark wasn't real sure who he felt he could trust. Someone tried to kill his son last night by giving him another dose of Warfarin. He couldn't prove it without test results but he was sure that the drug was given to Steve in the apple juice. Mark left the room in search of ice for the pitcher. As he filled the pitcher with ice he felt that someone was watching him. He suddenly turned around but saw no one behind him. He half smiled to himself thinking how paranoid he had become in the last twenty four hours. He made his way back to his son's room and quickly filled the pitcher with water from the sink in the bathroom and poured a glass.   
  
Steve drank greedily from the cup and tried again to talk with much better success. "Thanks Dad."   
  
"You wouldn't be just a little hungry would you?"   
  
"Well maybe just a little. What's for breakfast."   
  
"How about some pancakes and crispy bacon." Jesse beemed as he brought over a take out tray piled high with pancakes dripping with syrup.   
  
Jesse raised Steve's bed up so that he could eat with some comfort and placed the roll away table up with the tray sitting in the middle. Steve reached over for the fork and knife to begin eating his meal when Jesse suddenly snatched them from his reach.   
  
"No, no, no. I'll cut them up and you can use this very handy spoon to scoop them into your mouth."   
  
Steve glared at Jesse "I know how to cut up my food. Maybe you would like to feed it to me as well."   
  
"Well maybe I will." Jesse picked up the spoon and scooped up some of the sticky pancakes and with airplane noises he started flying the spoon into the air making his way towards Steve's mouth. "Open up the hanger for the airplane."   
  
Steve grabbed Jesse's arm and managed to wrestle the spoon out of his hand and said with a growl. "If you don't give me that spoon and get away from me I'm going to open up your hanger."   
  
Jesse backed up and with a look of pure innocence and informed his surley patient. "You really need to remember about those very uncomfortable treatments that I keep reminding you about. Now eat your breakfast all up and maybe I'll find you a coloring book and some colors to keep you busy while you're resting in bed."   
  
Steve refrained from retorting and continued to eat slowly but with determination. In spite of what he had been through in the last twentyfour hours he seemed to be really hungry. While he was finishing up Amanda came into the room and went straight over to Steve and kissed him on the cheek.   
  
"You look pretty good for a guy who nearly died last night."   
  
"I feel pretty good but I don't remember anything about dying."   
  
Mark walked up to the bed and sat down on the edge and looked his son in the eye. Steve started squirming a little. He had been given that look before. He knew his dad was wanting to ask him some questions and expected his son to be completely honest with his answers. He knew that his father would not tolerate any avoidance of the issue and expected him to answer promptly.   
  
"I told you not to get out of bed before I left the room. I said that at least ten times after we got you settled into bed. I know for a fact that Jesse and Amanda both warned you what could happen if you got up and sustained any kind of trauma. You assured us that you understood what we were trying to tell you."   
  
At this point Steve tried to interrupt his dad but Mark held up his hand to cut off any comments his son wanted to insert at this point. Steve immediatley closed his mouth and hung his head unable to look his dad in the eye any longer. Mark wasn't having any of his pouting and made Steve look at him. He felt that the only way to get through to his son the importance of his full cooperation was to make him understand what it had cost Mark to find his son laying half out of the shower passed out. He wanted Steve to know what he felt when Jesse had to resuscitate him when his heart stopped.  
  
Steve couldn't help but shutter a little when Mark forced him to look him in the eye as he continued the lecture in a calm and steady voice. "I walked into this room and I didn't find my son sitting quietly in his bed. I found my son laying unconscious in the shower, alone. You had no right to put me or Jesse through that. How do you think we would have felt if we hadn't been able to resuscitate you last night? I want to know why you got up and took that shower even after I told you to stay put. I want the truth and I want an answer now."   
  
The anger in Mark's voice was evident and Steve knew that he had messed up big time.   
  
"Dad you sent a nurse in here while you were out fighting the fire in the supply closet."   
  
"I didn't send anyone in here. What did this nurse look like son?"   
  
Suddenly all of Mark's sences were on high alert.   
  
"It was a male nurse and he said he was sent in here by you. He asked me if there was anything that he could do for me and I told him I wanted to take a shower. He said that as long as he was with me that it would be ok. He helped me into the shower and the next thing I know I woke up starring at the ceiling with all this hardware attached to me. Dad I promise I didn't get up by myself." There was a plea in Steve's voice as he explained to his dad why he was in the shower.   
  
He hated to be on the receiving end of Mark's displeasure and wanted nothing more than to smooth things over with his dad. "I'm sorry Dad I promise I'll do what ever you guys say from here on out."   
  
Mark could see how sincere his son was and knew that Steve was trying to make up for some of the crisis that he had caused last night. Unable to stay mad at his son for very long Mark reached over and hugged him. Just as Mark released his son the lab technician came into take a blood sample for a protime and CBC. True to his word Steve layed quietly as the tech lanced his finger and drew the sample needed for the tests. This time his finger only bled for a few seconds. Mark noticed before anyone and felt a wave of relief flood over him.   
  
Apparently the plasma treatments and Vitamin K were starting to counteract the Warfarin. If they could keep who ever was giving Steve the drug from getting at him again they might be able to have him back on his feet in a couple of days. With renewed determination to protect his son from any further danger Mark made up his mind to do what ever it took to keep Steve safe and away from anyone he didn't know or trust. Mark quickly devised a plan to insure his son's safety and turned to the two young doctor's who had become more like his own children than just friends.   
  
"From now on no one comes into this room except us and maybe a few people from the police force. Mrs. Grant will be here in about an hour. She is the only one who is to attend to him other than us. I'll explain to her what happened and also tell her that unless we personally hand her Medication to give to him that he isn't to receive it. Unless we bring it in from outside this hospital personally nothing goes into his mouth in the way of food or drink. Some how someone managed to keep administering him that drug right here in the hospital. Until we get to the bottom of this we take every precaution. I want to know who that nurse is and where he came from."   
  
"That is if he is a nurse. Anyone can put on a pair of scrubs and pass him or herself off as a nurse." commented Jesse.   
  
"Steve, did you notice a name tag or any kind of personel badge on his uniform." asked Amanada.   
  
"No, but then with the fire and the excitment of everything that was going on out there I didn't even think about it." Steve tried to search his memory to see if he even noticed the nurse wearing some kind of identification.   
  
As hard as he tried he couldn't remember. Suddenly Mark remembered the cup of apple juice and asked Amanda if she had been able to find any residue of the drug.   
  
"As a matter of fact I did. I'm surprised though. But there were traces around the inside of the cup. It was pure luck. Usualy any trace like that would have been washed away by the melted ice."   
  
"That almost proves that nurse is the one who doctored the juice. I called Maggie this morning and she said she never sent any juice up for Steve. In fact when she got his tray it had been cleaned down to the pattern. She thought Steve had eaten all of it and never really got a chance to think to much about sending him anything else. I told her we were going to be feeding him from outside the hospital for awhile and told her why. She understood but seemed pretty upset at the fact that someone could get at her trays so easily and drug the food." Mark looked at his son and noticed that he was struggling to keep his eyes open. "I think you should take a nap and rest for awhile. When you wake up Mrs. Grant should be here."   
  
Steve couldn't stop the yawn that was trying to escape and just nodded toward his dad and closed his eyes. Soon he was asleep and Mark asked Amanda if she could sit with him until Mrs. Grant arrived. Of course Amanda was happy to sit with him and Mark told her he would be in his office for awhile.   
  
"You might try to catch a nap yourself. It certainly wouldn't hurt you." she offered.   
  
"I have a few phone calls to make and I promise I will try to catch a short nap. I want to know as soon as the lab results come back."   
  
"No problem. I'll call you as soon as we get the results. Now go." Mark gave her a hug and left out the door.   
  
He stopped long enough to talk with the guard and to give him instructions on who was and wasn't aloud to enter his son's room. This done, Mark made his way to his office. He put a call into the Captain and brought him up to date on everything that had happened in the last fourteen hours, including the test on the apple juice cup.   
  
While Mark rested in his office Amanda sat with Steve and wondered why her friend so often seemed to be the target for so many malicious people. Of course his job caused lots of lunatics to come out of the wood work looking to seek revenge for themselves or often a loved one. Steve had a very high closing rate on most of his cases. Thanks largely due to the involvement of his father who could not seem to keep himself distanced from his son's work. This alone was probably why he became a target so often. As she sat watching her friend sleep a slight chill ran through her knowing that they came very close to loosing him forever. How empty their lives would be without this person who had such an impact on so many lives. He was a good cop, a good friend, a good brother and a good son. She realised that Steve had become so much more than just a mere friend to her and her boys. He filled in for many roles when the occasion called for it. How many times had he escorted one of her boys to a father, son outing to ensure that they had not been left out of any opportunities and fun that the other boys had with their own fathers. He was always there for her and Jesse lending an ear or supporting them when they needed someone to help through the rough times. He was always pulling their bacon out of the fire it seemed. With mild irritation and mostly a whole lot of amusement Steve tolerated their too often uninvited help in many of his cases. He was the big brother that neither she nor Jesse had ever had. He was a good son. He loved his father and it showed in the way he talked about his dad. The pride that he felt for his dad always came out in his conversations when disscusing his dad's ability to solve more crimes than any LAPD cop on the force. His father's interferance was probably why so many of his cases found themselves in the closed pile. He readily jumps to his dad's defence whenever Mark's involvement raises the ire of some of the higher officials. Steve was a good cop. He was incorruptible. He had often been referred to as a boy scout. Steve's sence of justice, right and wrong was unshakeable. About the only time that he ever crossed the line was when someone threatened his father, or close friends. These occasions sometimes caused his anger to overshadowe his ability to think rationaly and he often became a little too aggressive in his approach to the problem. Steve was definitely very important to the people who knew and loved him.   
  
Chapter Twelve   
  
Amanda came out of her daydream when Jesse came into the room with the lab results. "How does everything look this morning."   
  
  
  
"A lot better than they did last night. His protime is down to 16, and his hematocrit and hemaglobin are almost back to normal. I think we can forgo another Vitamin K shot."  
  
  
  
"He'll be relieved to hear that. I know he hated getting them in his abdomen." said Amanda  
  
  
  
"He still needs to stay in bed and be quiet for a while. I think after last night he's going to be more willing to cooperate. He saw this morning how upset Mark was over the whole thing."  
  
  
  
"Should we wake up Mark?" asked Amanda. "He wanted to know when the lab results came back."   
  
  
  
"No, I don't think so. If the results weren't this good I would. He needs to rest. I'll give him another two or three hours and then I'll go get him. Mrs. Grant should be here in about ten or fifteen minutes. Can you stay with him until then?" asked Jesse.  
  
  
  
"Sure, I'll explain everything to her when she gets here so she will be on the same page as the rest of us. I'll see you in a little while."  
  
When Mrs. Grant arrived that morning Amanda told her about what happened the night before. Mrs. Grant was very concerned that her patient had come so close to loosing his life. She assured Amanda that she would keep her eye on him and nothing would happen to him while he was in her care. She agreed that all of Steve's meals should be brought in from outside the hospital to ensure that he was not drugged again. As Steve slept she busied herself with tidying up the room and getting things ready for his bath. About an hour later Jesse came in with bottled water and apple juice.   
  
"We decided that nothing goes into his mouth unless we personally get it for him from outside the hospital." he explained.   
  
"Dr. Bentley explained what happened and what the plan was to keep him from being drugged. Do any of you know who is behind this yet?" she asked.   
  
"Not really. We think maybe it was someone posing as a RN. One of the aides said that a male nurse gave her the apple juice for Steve. She told us he had been seen around the corrider off and on during her shift."   
  
"There was a male nurse who came into the room yesterday afternoon with a cup of pills. Since I hadn't been told of any medication that Steve was to be given I told him to wait. I wanted to check his chart and left him in here with Steve while I went to the nurses desk to get the chart. When I came back he was gone and Steve was still asleep. You don't think he was able to get Steve to swallow the pills anyway while I was gone do you." Mrs. Grant looked horrified that she could be at fault for her patient being vulnerable enough to be drugged.   
  
Jesse saw the look on her face and knew she was blaming herself for Steve's accident. "Look you did the right thing in checking his chart. We gave him another dose of Vitamin K after that and who ever is doing this was able to slip it to him again into some apple juice right under our noses. You can't blame yourself. All we can do now is make sure it doesn't happen again. I think our plan can guarantee that. No one is to come in here except Dr. Sloan, Dr. Bentley or myself. If any one else gets past that guard out there I feel confident that they won't get past you." Jesse gave her one of his famous grins and just as he had hoped Mrs. Grant was smiling back with a bit of steel determination to protect her patient at all cost.   
  
"Don't worry Dr. Travis, no one will get to him again. I intend to stay on top of everything including him." she eyed Steve with a determined line set to her mouth. "He'll do as he is told or else."   
  
With one eyebrow raised and a smile on his face Jesse patted Mrs. Grant on the back and said."I have every confidence that you'll know just how to handle our slumbering friend here." and with a wave he turned and left Steve in the very capable hands of his nurse knowing that before the morning was over that a small war was inevitable. "Poor Steve, he doesn't stand a chance" laughed Jesse.   
  
Mark woke up when the phone started ringing. He yawned and stretched as he made his way to the intrusive object. "Dr. Sloan." was all he managed to get out before Captain Newman went right to the reason he called.   
  
"Dr. Sloan this is Jim Newman. I think we may have a lead on who might be behind the attempts on Steve. I'd like to discuss it with you in person. Is there any way you could leave and come into the precinct. I want to show you a file and some pictures. You might recognize our suspect."   
  
Mark hesitated for a minute before he answered. "I don't like leaving him alone. I mean he has people in the room with him all the time, but I don't like being very far away from him. I don't suppose you could bring the files down here could you?"   
  
"I could this afternoon. I have a meeting in about an hour with the Chief and one of the city Councilmen. I'll try to be there around twelve. Maybe we can show the pictures to some of the staff and see if they have seen this man hanging around the hospital." replied the Captain.   
  
When Newman mentioned that the pictures were of a man, Marks interest was peeked. Maybe this was the man that had been posing as a nurse for the last twentyfour hours.   
  
"Meet me in Steve's room. I'll order lunch for you when we order Steve's." Mark could hear a slight gasp come from the Captains mouth and with a grin Mark assured the Captain that they would be ordering lunch from Bar BQ Bobs. "We won't let Steve eat or drink anything unless we bring it in from outside the hospital. Somehow this person has managed to slip this drug to Steve at least 2 or 3 times since he's been in the hospital. We aren't taking any chances."   
  
"Lunch from the restraunt sounds good. I'll take you up on that offer. Thanks. See you at noon." Captain Newman said with more enthusiasm.  
  
Mark decided to check on Steve before he checked on some of his more critical patients. As he approached his son's room he could hear what sounded like a small battle going on inside. As he approached the door he could see the amused look on the guards face.   
  
"What's going on in their?" Mark asked sheepishly.   
  
"Well let's just say that if we were keeping score it would be Nurse Grant 5, Lieutenant Sloan 0. He's being shot down at every level. With that lady in there he has no chance of winning any argument."   
  
"I knew she could handle him. I wouldn't have had to gone to this extreme if he would just learn to follow directions and do as his doctor says. I better get in there before she ties him up and gags him."   
  
Mark entered the room with a grin. "Well I see everything is going as it should. How do you feel son?" Mark knew that he had just asked a loaded question. The look on Steve's face confirmed the fact that he had just about reached his level of control.   
  
Mark decided that both his son and Mrs. Grant needed a break from each other for a little while so he decided to let the older nurse take a 30 minute break from his fuming son.  
  
  
  
She gave Mark a grateful smile and turned to her patient with a stern look and informed him, "When I get back you are going to get a bath and a bed change." With that said she left the room.   
  
Steve immediatley started pleading with his father. "Dad please, get me another nurse. She is driving me up a wall."  
  
Mark smiled down at his son and shook his head as he gently tried to let his son know that he was stuck with Mrs. Grant for the duration of his stay.   
  
"I'm sorry son but she is not going anywhere. She is very good at keeping you in line and besides you should feel very comforted in knowing that anyone that tried to get at you would have to go through her first. Personaly my money is on Mrs. Grant. I think she could take on the toughest street gang in LA and send them running with their tails tucked between their legs." As Steve opened his mouth to protest Mark held up his hand and said, "No, no. End of discussion. Besides you will want to look your best for when Captain Newman comes for lunch today. He has some pictures and a file to show us. I think he has a lead on who might be behind all of this."   
  
"He didn't give you a name did he?"   
  
"No, he really didn't seem to want to discuss it over the phone. I hope that we're about to get some answers. The sooner we get whoever is behind this apprehended the better I'll rest."   
  
Mark watched Steve's face for any sign of how he might be feeling about all that had happened to him in the last several hours. The only sign he saw was relief. Steve's next words explained the look,  
  
"The sooner we get this cleared up the sooner I get to go home and get away from Nurse Granit. I'm getting tired of having to live in this padded room. People treating me like I can't do anything for myself."   
  
Just as Steve finished his tirade Jesse walked into the room grinning as if he had a secret that he couldn't wait to tell. "I was just looking for you Mark. We got the lab results back a couple of hours ago and every thing is looking good. His protime is around 16 and the other blood work is back to normal. You may just live in spite of yourself."   
  
"Good I can get out of here and get back to my life."   
  
"Uh uh you get to stay here for the next two days taking it easy as we continue to monitor your blood work to be sure that every thing stays as it should." said Jesse.   
  
As Steve threw his legs over the side of the bed Jesse and Mark both reached over and pulled him back and settled him in the bed. "You can't just get up and start jumping around there buddy." Jesse said firmly.   
  
"You can't tell me what to do, I'm older than you." Steve argued.   
  
"Not in doctor years. Now get your behind back up their and stay put. Mrs. Grant won't like it if she finds her favorite patient all tied up like a trussed up turkey."   
  
"On the contrary from what I heard coming from this room earlier I think she was about to order restraints for Steven Michael a bit earlier." Mark was laughing at this point. The look on Steve's face told the whole story of how he was feeling about the next couple of days ahead.  
  
A few minutes later Mrs. Grant walked back into the room with a determined look set on her face. "Now we will be getting that bath and a clean change of sheets. Are you ready? Don't even start. Nothing you can say will change the fact that you are going to get a bath now."   
  
Poor Steve was unable to even get a word in as the older nurse started into the task of tending to her patients bath. Mark and Jesse both eased out the door just as Mrs Grant started stripping back the bed clothes from Steve's clutches. As they walked down the corrider Mark told Jesse about his talk with Captain Newman.   
  
"He's coming for lunch. I promised him ribs from 'Bob's' so you need to get enough for about six people. I want you and Amanda to join us if it's at all possible. Hopefully this is about over. He has pictures for us to look at. I'll want to get a copy of them. Maybe Sarah could identify him as the one who gave her the apple juice last night for Steve."   
  
"Sounds like a plan to me. I'll call the restraunt and have it ready in about an hour and I'll pick it up myself. I'll go tell Amanda to meet us in Steve's room at noon. See ya later." with that Jesse headed towards the elevator to go see Amanda.  
  
Captain Newman entered Steve's room right at 12:00. He was amused at the fact that Mrs. Grant was in the process of trying to comb the Lieutenant's hair. Something Steve was trying to avoid.   
  
"I can comb my own hair. See the comb is made out of plastic. No chance of me injuring myself. Okay?"   
  
She reluctantly surrendered the comb into the detectives hands and went about picking up the dirty laundry that had accumulated during the whole bath and bed change battle.   
  
"You seem to have a pretty efficient nurse taking care of you Detective. It must be a comfort to have someone who can care for you in your declining condition."   
  
"Well, comfort isn't the word I would use. But yes she does take her job seriusly. A little to serious sometimes." Steve said as he pulled at the fresh hospital gown he was now wearing after what was one of the most embarrasing moments of his life.   
  
Newman noticed a faint smile curling at the nurses mouth as Steve made this last comment. "How are you feelling? Your Dad told me that you had a close call last night. I think you gave everyone a scare. You are following orders aren't you?"   
  
"I don't really have much of a choice. I'm pretty out numbered around here." said Steve with a jerk of his head towards Mrs. Grant. "Dad said that you had some pictures and a file for us to look at."   
  
" Yea, I think maybe I might know who is doing this and why. Do you remember about 16 months ago you and your dad proved that Mary Ann Eagen was using Warfarin to drug the lead driver on her racing team?"   
  
"Yea, but I heard she commited suicide a few months ago. The report said she had a nervous breakdown and hung herself. What does that have to do with any of this now?"   
  
"Mrs. Eagen had a brother. His name was Robert Marshal. He made a lot of noise when she died. You know a lot of 'Someones going to pay.' 'I'll sue.' Just a lot of noise like that. It never seemed that he was aiming at you or your dad. He seemed to blame the prison itself. After a while he sort of disappeared. No one heard anything out of him for a while. I quess we just forgot about him. I'm sure that his behavior was chalked up to grief. If it wasn't for the connection to the Warfarin I wouldn't have looked at it twice. Unless you or someone else can identify the man in this picture then we are still no closer." As Newman made this last statement he held out two pictures toward Steve.   
  
Steve looked at both pictures and was sure that the man in them was the same man who came into his room last night claiming to be a nurse. Mrs. Grant came over and stood by Steve and peered down at the pictures. A slight gasp escaped her lips as she recognised this to be the same man who had entered Steve's room the day before with a cup of pills, claiming they were for her patient. Both Steve and the captain looked at her with questioning looks.   
  
"Yesterday afternoon this man came into the room with medication for you Steve. Neither your dad or Dr. Travis told me anything about you getting any medication other than the Vitamin K injections. I didn't want you taking anything until I checked the chart. I told him not to give you anything until I got back. I just thought it was some green nurse who got the room numbers mixed up. When I got back into the room he was gone. I figured he realised his mistake when he checked your hospital bracelet and went on to find the right room. You were asleep when he came in and you looked like you hadn't even stirred." Suddenly their was a tremble in her voice. "I'm so sorry hon. I shouldn't have left you alone with him in the room. He somehow must have managed to get you to take them while you were groggy from your nap. I promise no one is going to get to you again while I'm here."   
  
Steve could see remorse in her eyes and it bothered him to think that she would blame herself for what was happening to him. "Look, you did the right thing in checking on the medication orders. Besides he managed to slip it right past Dad later that evening in a cup of apple juice. You can't blame yourself for him getting past you. He got past all of us for several days. Besides you have more than made up for it in other ways. I don't think I have ever been this clean." Steve gave her a slight grin which he hoped would bring her out of her guilt.  
  
  
  
He was right as she gave him a wink a wicked little smile and said, "Oh, well there's more where that came from sonny." This caused Steve to ponder a bit with a shudder at what she meant by that.   
  
He knew that if his dad and Jesse had there way he was going to be there about two or three more days with Mrs. Grant in constant attendance. He couldn't decide which botherd him more. The fact that their was some one out to kill him still running around out there free or the idea that he would be at Mrs. Grant's mercy for the next few days. Before he had a chance to think on it to much his dad and Jesse came in with a couple of cartons from Bar BQ Bobs.   
  
"I hope every one is hungry. We have ribs with all the trimings." Mark said as he pushed aside some magazines to make room for his box.   
  
Just then Amanda came in smiling and licking her lips. "Mmmmm, you can smell those ribs out in the hall. Maybe we better post another guard. We may have a lunch rush in here."   
  
Soon plates, napkins and food had been passed around to everyone. Not much was said about the case for the next 30 minutes while everyone enjoyed their meal. The conversation centered around more pleasant topics for the sake of a pleasant meal. The only thing that caused anyone any displeasure was when Steve was handed a plate with a spoon on it. When he saw the spoon he opened his mouth to protest only to shut it when he saw the look Mrs. Grant was giving him. He smiled instead and said, "Thank you Mrs. Grant."   
  
A snicker from Jesse confirmed the fact that he had not missed the little exchange between patient and nurse. "Jesse is really getting out of hand." thought Steve. He figured when he got out of here that he would just have to put him in his place. Jesse shivered slightly as he noticed Steve smiling at him with malicious innocence. Jesse had seen Steve look at him like that before and it never boded well for Jesse.   
  
After the lunch mess had been cleared away, the trash disposed of and a certain police Lieutentant's hands and mouth had been cleaned by a very over protective nurse the group got down to the reason for Captain Newman's visit.   
  
"Steve and Mrs. Grant have already identified him as the nurse that has been in and out of here yesterday."   
  
"He's the one who helped me into the shower last night." Steve told his father.   
  
"I'm afraid he's the one who came in here with the medication yesterday. I still feel bad about leaving you alone with him." said Mrs. Grant.   
  
"I don't know if I remember him or not. I was so busy with Steve I don't think I paid too much attention to who was here and who wasn't. I may of seen him I just don't think I can be positive." Jesse said with disapointment at not being able to be more positive.   
  
"I saw him here." Mark said. "I went to get some fresh ice for the water pitcher and I couldn't help but feel that someone was watching me. I looked around but all I saw was a nurse at a med cart. This nurse." Mark pointed to the picture in Newman's hand. "I know someone else who needs to look at this picture. Has anyone seen Sarah today?"   
  
"You mean that little blond nurse aide that keeps finding excuses to come in here at every possible opportunity?" Jesse smiled so sweetly at Steve. "I saw her this morning. I'll go see if I can find her. I know she would just love to come in here and see if her favorite patient needs something." with a wink towards Steve, Jesse exited the door before Steve could respond.   
  
A few minutes later Jesse returned with the young woman right behind him. When Sarah entered the room she was a little taken back by all the people that were gathered waiting for her. Mark came over and put his arm around her shoulders trying to make her a little more comfortable.   
  
"Sarah, honey, would you look at these two pictures and tell us if you have ever seen this man anywhere in the hospital in the last twenty-four hours?"   
  
Sarah stared at the pictures for a few minutes when suddenly it dawned on her where and when she had seen the man before. "He's one of the new nurses that just started in the last couple of days. Remember Dr. Sloan I told you about him? He gave me the glass of apple juice for your son last night. He told me that Maggie had sent it up because Steve didn't eat much of his supper and she thought maybe it would settle his stomach. Is he the one you think is trying to hurt Steve?" she asked the group.   
  
"We aren't positive yet, but we think so. Have you seen him here today?" asked Mark.   
  
"I don't think so. I have been very busy in the nursery today. One of the aides called in sick and I've been filling in down there most of the morning. I only came back up here about an hour ago. Maybe one of the other nurses or aides have seen him."  
  
"Thanks sweetie. I'll ask around. You can go back to your duties now."   
  
"Is there anything I can get for you Lieutenant before I go?" Sarah looked at Steve hoping that he would find something he would like for her to do for him.   
  
Steve smiled at her and said, "Thanks but I can't think of anything I could possibly need right now. But if I think of anything I'll let you know." Just a little disappointed Sarah made her way out the door and went on about her work.  
  
Every one looked at Steve as she went, with expectant looks on their faces.   
  
"What?" he asked. "Come on you guys she's just a kid. Can we get back to who is trying to kill me please?"   
  
Steve was ready to change the focus in the room because the current one was making him very uncomfortable. He never knew how to handle school girl crushes even though by now he probably should have been very good at it since it seemed to happen every time he took up temporary residence at Community General.   
  
Biting back the urge to continue this hot opportunity to make his best friend squirm more Jesse changed the subject back to the problem at hand. "Now that we are fairly sure that we are looking for the right guy how do we prove that he is the one who is behind all of this? So far all we can do is prove that he was in Steve's room a couple of times and that he handed an aide a cup of apple juice for Steve. No one saw him give Steve the pills or spike the apple juice. Steve doesn't even remember him causing the accident." Jesse stated all this with obvious frustation in his voice.   
  
"Jesse's right. We have no proof that he is behind any of this. The most he could be charged with is impersonating a nurse. A good lawyer would laugh us out of court." Captain Newman stated with equal frustration.   
  
"Maybe we just need to give him an opportunity to try again." Mark had a twinkle in his eye as he looked around the room at his audience.   
  
"Mark by now he is bound to know that we were able to save Steve. He has probably noticed the increased security in the room and the fact that we aren't giving anyone a chance to get at Steve. He might even know that we suspect him. He's not going to try again while Steve is in here." Amanda stated.   
  
"Well maybe he just thinks that we suspect him and maybe he isn't sure what we suspect. We could guide his thinking into the direction that we choose." Mark's eyes were twinkling as he looked around the room.   
  
"What are you up to Dad?" Steve asked the question with some concern. Knowing his father the way he did he knew that Mark had a plan.   
  
"We could arrest someone for the attempts on Steve's life. Once we make an arrest there won't be any need to keep a guard posted at his door. Also maybe we could find an occasional opportunity for Mrs. Grant to leave the room from time to time." Mark was forming a plan as he spoke to the others who were looking a bit puzzled at the older doctor.   
  
"If you arrest someone for the attempts on Steve's life then there wouldn't be any reason why Steve couldn't enjoy the hospital cuisine again." Jesse started to get the jest of the plan. "By arresting someone then it would look natural for us to let our guard down. Therefore it would give our friend in the picture an opportunity to try again. Just one question, who are you going to arrest for the attempted murder on young Steven here?" Jesse wanted to know.   
  
"I'm thinking that this could be a crime of passion. Maybe some one who felt that she was being jilted by our young casanova. Someone who has access to the drug, someone who had opportunity. Someone who would do anything for her favorite patient."   
  
As if on cue everyone turned toward Steve and said, "Sarah!"   
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
Sarah sobbed as the police officer read her the Miranda Act. She was placed into handcuffs and led away. Their was a lot of talk as the staff watched her being arrested. No one could believe that the little aide would do such a thing. You never know what someone is capable of doing until they become obsessed by their feelings for another. But isn't it great that Lieutenant Sloan is now out of danger. Suddenly their was no longer a guard on Steve's door. He received a plate at lunch from the hospital kitchen. Mrs. Grant seemed to be in and out of the room and the detective was left on his own more and more as the day went on. All this was observed by a nurse who seemed to be busy taking inventory at the med cart. Not wanting to walk into a trap he silently kept busy throughout the day just observing the activities that surrounded Sloan's room. Maybe he should test the waters before he made another attempt on the detectives life again.   
  
Robert Marshal entered Steve's room with a blood pressure cuff and a thermometer. "I need to get your vital signs Mr. Sloan. It won't take more than a minute."  
  
Steve watched Marshal as he wrapped the cuff around his arm and stuck the thermometer in his mouth. Marshal never made any attempt to harm him. He pumped up the cuff and after receiving the reading he recorded it on a pad and then removed the thermometer from Steve's mouth and recorded the reading, again onto the pad. As he left the room he smiled at Steve and told him to call if he needed anything. Steve gave a guarded smile back and thanked the nurse and continued watching T.V. until the nurse was well out of hearing range.   
  
"What do you think that was all about." Steve asked into the wire that was attached just under his hospital gown.   
  
No one made a move on the nurse and he went about his self appointed routine with a little more confidence in the fact that he just might be able to accomplish what he had worked so hard to do for the last several days.  
  
Marshal new that he couldn't use the Warfarin again. He watched people come and go from Steve's room. It seemed people entered and left with no set pattern. Marshall concluded that the detective was visited only when his friends could take a break from their own duties. Nurses entered from time to time checking on the detective and seeing to his few needs. Marshall decided to check on Steve again. When he entered again he noticed that the patient was peacefully sleeping unprotected and quite vulnerable. As Marshall crept closer to the bed he reached into his pocket and withdrew a switchblade. He silently stepped closer and closer to the unsuspecting man sleeping with no cares. He watched his prey for signs of awareness as he raised his arm up over his head. He could drive the knife into this man's heart and kill him instantly. No one would hear a thing. It would be over in just a few seconds. He studied Steve's face. There wasn't any sign of regret or shame for what he did to Mary Ann. Did this man even feel remorse for what happened to her. Marshal knew that he had to take his revenge for his sister now. At this thought Marshal plunged the knife towards Steve's chest. Just before it maded contact, Steve grabbed Marshal's wrist and with every ounce of strength he could muster he forced his assailant backwards. Marshal momentarily lost his balance but recovered quickly once again advancing on Steve. Steve managed to dodge the knife as it plunged into the mattress next to his head. Marshal jerked the knife from the mattress and managed to hit Steve across the face momentarily stunning the detective when his head made contact with the side rail which was still in the upright position. Because of the blow Steve's movements were slowed slightly and Marshal plunged the knife into his shoulder just as two armed police officers entered the room. The crazed man was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed all the while yelling and screaming obscenities at everyone in the room. Mark and Jesse were in the room just seconds after the two officers had entered both stunned at the sight of Steve laying on his back with a knife sticking out of his left shoulder. They quickly assessed the damage and even though it was serious both doctors were relieved to see that given the position of the knife, Steve's wound was not going to be life threatening.   
  
Steve was taken into surgery and the muscle damage was repaired quickly. When he woke up from the ansthesia a couple of hours later he was sporting about 16 new stitches and some serious discomfort in his shoulder. When Steve finally managed to pry his eyes open he turned his head slightly to find his dad sitting in his usual spot keeping vidual over his son while waiting for him to wake up.   
  
"Well it's about time you came around." Mark watched Steve try to comprehend this and moved over towards the bed so that he could offer him some ice chips to moisten his dry mouth.   
  
After the chips melted and soothed his parched throat Steve tried to pull together his thoughts so that he could ask his father about Marshal. Before he put his question into words, Mark knew what his son wanted to know and eased his curiosity with a few details.   
  
"Marshal has been arrested for the attempts on your life. He confessed to everything and has given the police details about how he has been slipping you Warfarin for the last four days. He confessed to luring you into the shower and then causing you to slip and fall. He also confessed to setting the fire in the supply closet as a diversion so that he could get into the room without anyone interfering with his plan. He blames you for his sister's death. Apparently he has been planning this for several months. He completely broke down after he was arrested. He's under suicide watch." Mark watched Steve closely to see how he would react to what he had just told him.   
  
Steve closed his eyes for a second trying to sort out what his dad had just told him. Even though this man had tried to kill him and nearly succeded twice Steve couldn't help but feel sorry for him a little. He was very protective of his sister Carol. Steve could still remember how hurt and angry he was when he found out that his sister had been murdered. The circumstances were different but he knew that Robert Marshal really blamed himself for what happened to his sister just like Steve did. He wasn't there when his sister needed him most. Marshal probably felt that he had failed his sister when she died the way she did. His way of dealing with his feelings was to blame others and try to extract some revenge hoping to ease his own mind. Steve remembered that he felt that he had failed Carol by not being there when she needed him most. It took him a while to forgive himself and to get past what he had never had any control of to begin with. When Steve opened his eyes there were tears. He tried to brush them away but they continued to fall down his face.   
  
Mark reached over and gripped his son's hand gently talking to him trying to comfort him. "He loved his sister just like you loved yours. He needed to excercise his demons just the same as you. He just chose to do it in the wrong way. You drew strength from your family and your faith in God to get you through your time of mourning. You chose to continue on in a manner that you knew Carol would want you to. Robert Marshal chose a different path and now he has to pay a bigger price for his grief."   
  
Steve listened to what his father was saying to him and he knew that he was right. Steve spent a lot of time in prayer asking God to help him have strength and to be strong not only for himself but also for his dad. Jesse and Amanda had also been great sources of comfort for him and his father. For the first time since Carol's death he realized just what a gift he had in his father, his friends and his faith. He felt sorry for Robert Marshal. Had no one been their for him in his time of need? Did he not have the comfort that only comes from God and your church? Steve made a promise to himself at that moment that as soon as his dad and Jesse said it was ok he would like to go see Marshal and maybe offer some sort of comfort that was so tragicaly lacking for the man. If someone had been their for him maybe he would never have succumbed to seeking revenge for his sister. Steve knew that at that moment he forgave Robert Marshal. He needed Marshal to know this also.  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
Steve was anxious to go home and get away from Mrs. Grant's constant administrations. He never felt so smothered in all his life. No matter what he said to his dad or Jesse they insisted that he was not able to take care of himself yet. The truth of the matter was that given Steve's track record it would be just a matter of time before he managed to land back into the hospital because he couldn't control his impulse to over do when he was left unattended during his convalescing.   
  
Mark was unable to take off at this time due to so many of the staff being out for the flue bug that had hit the hospital a few days earlier. Steve knew that eventually he could wear his dad and Jesse down and they would send him home just to shut him up. That day came sooner than he had expected. The next morning Mark came in smiling and informed his son that he would be going home today.   
  
"But their will be a few rules mister." Mark looked at his son with raised eyebrows hoping that Steve would listen and for once do as he was told. But just in case he had a little surprise for his incorrigible offspring to insure that he followed doctors orders to the letter.   
  
"I'll do what ever you and Jesse say Dad. I just want to go home and sleep in my own bed. I miss my pay-perview and I can't wait to get back out to the beach so that I can relax to the sound of waves pounding the shore."   
  
"Ok kiddo here goes. Rule number one. You stay in the guest room until I say you are well enough to run up and down the stairs." At this Steve started to protest. Mark gave him a look that Steve knew meant there would be no compromising.   
  
He sighed and said dejectedly "Fine. I'll stay in the quest room. But I want my own pillows and my own blanket."   
  
"That's reasonable. Now Rule Number 2. No going out on the beach unless you are accompanied by me or Jesse. You have a tendency to over do it. I want one of us to be there in case you find yourself in trouble and to also say I told you so."   
  
Steve gave his father a look that clearly showed displeasure in the fact his dad had so little faith in his ability to know his limits.   
  
"Rule number 3. You will rest and that means you take an afternoon nap. No, none of these rules are negotiable. Do you understand all of these rules as I have explained them to you." Mark smiled knowing that Steve was already planning on how he could get away with fudging on all three rules and not get caught. That's why he and Jesse had a little surprise in store for Steve to insure that he take care of himself and not cause any further damage to his already weakend body.   
  
Steve was almost dressed when Mark and Jesse both walked in bearing a wheelchair. " I don't suppose just this once you guys would let me walk out of here on my own two legs would you?"   
  
"I don't think so." Jesse seemed to really take delight in keeping Steve under his thumb. "Hop aboard and we'll take you to your little piece of heaven in Malibu." Jesse seemed to be having way too much fun which made Steve a little uneasy.   
  
The Kid was definitely up to something. "I thought you were taking me home Dad."   
  
"Oh I am. Jesse's just going to go along and help me get you settled in before I head back to the hospital. You have everything?"   
  
"Yes sir. I never had much from home to begin with. All you would bring me was an electric razor and clean underwear. I don't understand why you wouldn't bring my sweats up here."  
  
"Mrs. Grant said that it was much easier to take care of you in the hospital gown. She was the boss so thats what you wore."   
  
"Well she won't be the boss now so let's get out of here. I'm ready to be my own boss."   
  
"You did explain the rules to him didn't you?" Jesse gave Mark a questioning look as they headed out the door.   
  
"I told him rules 1-3. When we get him home we can go over rule number 4."   
  
"What's rule number 4?" Steve asked hesitantly.   
  
"It's the most important rule on the list." Jesse winked and grinned at Steve making the detective very uncomfortable.   
  
He knew that his dad and Jesse were up to something but he felt he could deal with it once he got home. Right now he just wanted to get away from the hospital and put some distance between him and Nurse Granit. After settling Steve into the back seat Mark pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the Beach House. For most of the trip Steve sat quietly and listened to the conversation between his dad and Jesse. The closer they got to the Beach House the more uncomfortable Steve got about what Jesse and his dad had planned for him. He was pretty sure they were up to something because neither one of them harped at him about being careful or over doing it. They never said anything about following those stupid rules. As they pulled into the driveway of their home Steve noticed a strange car in the driveway.   
  
Who's car is that dad?" Steve was more than curious, he was down right suspicious.   
  
"Oh it's a surprise that Jesse and I have planned for you. It's going to make staying here so much easier for you. Come on it's time to get you inside." Mark reached into the back seat to help Steve out and get him settled into the house.   
  
As they approached the the front door Steve kept asking his dad and Jesse who was waiting for them in the house. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to like the answer. When they entered the house Steve nearly passed out. There in front of him stood Mrs. Grant. Hands on hips and a look on her face that made Steve shiver from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. If his dad and Jesse hadn't been flanking him on both sides he would have broke and made a run for the front door. Both doctors took a firm grip on his arms and dragged him into the living room and settled him down on the couch.   
  
With a big smile on his face Mark faced his slightly stunned son and started explaining how things would be for the next week or two. "I know that you are just as relieved as Jesse and I are that Mrs. Grant was able to take the next week or two off so that she could be here to take care of you. Wasn't that nice of her to agree to helping us out like that?"   
  
Nice wasn't quite the word Steve was thinking at the moment. But he kept silent and continued to glare at his father and Jesse as Mark continued. "Now I want you to know that she will be completely in charge of you and your care. She's the boss. Do you understand me young man?"   
  
Mark waited for his son to comply but Steve just continued to sit and glare without answering.   
  
With more authority in his voice and a stern look at his son Mark tried once again to illicit an answer from his fractious son. "I said do you understand?"   
  
With great reluctance Steve looked up to his father and quietly answered "Yes sir."   
  
Once again smiling down at Steve, Mark said, "Now that's better. If you are a good patient and do as your told you can be back to full health in just a few days."   
  
"You don't think that I could have taken care of myself without having to bother Mrs. Grant?" Steve asked at the same time forcing a smile at his new warden.   
  
"NO" was the reply from both Mark and Jesse at the same time.   
  
"It's not that we don't think that you could take care of yourself. It's just that you don't take care of yourself. You don't stop to think about the consequences of some of your actions." said Mark.   
  
"It's not like I mean to disobey orders. I just forget my limitations sometimes."   
  
"Well that's why we have Mrs. Grant here. She can help you remember what you can and cannot do. Now be a good boy and do everything she tells you. You see that is rule number 4. ' Do as your nurse says at all times.' quoted Mark.  
  
"If your real good and do what your told maybe we will bring you home a surprise. Won't that be nice." Jesse couldn't help but add this little bit even though he knew the responce he would probably get from his best friend.   
  
Instead of barking out a sarcastic reply to Jesse's last comment he smiled ever so sweetly at the little hemarroid and said, "That would be really neat. Maybe you could bring it over yourself and we could go play in my room alone. Just you and me, all by ourselves where no one could here you if you suddenly had a little accident. What do you say Jesse wouldn't that be fun." Steve continued to beam up as Jesse who started to back away towards the front door.   
  
"I think maybe it's time to get back to the hospital now. I'm sure they need us don't you think so Mark?"   
  
Laughing at his two boys Mark turned back to Steve and said,"I think he's right we need to get back. We'll be home this evening. I've already moved your things into the guest room so you should have everything you need to be comfortable. Now do what Mrs. Grant says and be a good boy, please." Mark pleaded with his son.   
  
At that he turned and walked to the front door. As he opened the door he heard the first shots being fired as the battle between nurse and patient began. "First thing we are going to do is get your bath out of the way. Then we can get you settled in and I will fix your lunch for you. I have already run your bath so let's get those clothese off and get you in the tub. Will you let go of the front of your shirt I can't get the buttons undone."   
  
As Mark and Jesse started towards the car they could hear Steve pleading, "Dad come back. Daaaaaad heeeelp."   
  
Looking over the top of the car at Mark, Jesse asked, "How long do you think we are safe from him."   
  
"Maybe two weeks at best, but don't worry I have us scheduled to go to a conference in San Fransisco about the time he gets his medical release. That should give us another week at least." Mark sighed.   
  
"Maybe we should think about looking into some kind of exchange program for overseas." Jesse said as Mark pulled out into the traffic.   
  
"Let's face it he's going to get us one way or another." Mark said.   
  
"I know but it's worth it." and the two doctors chuckled as they both got a mental picture of Mrs. Grant taking Steve in hand. "He doesn't stand a chance does he." said Jesse.   
  
"Nope."   
  
THE END 


End file.
